WASHINGTON ― Former Vice President Mike Pence responded angrily on Wednesday to former President Donald Trump’s claim that all he wanted on Jan. 6, 2021, was for Pence to request a delay in the 2020 election certification.
Pence said it was “completely false” that Trump only asked him to “pause the vote counting,” as Trump’s attorney claimed Tuesday evening. Pence said it was perfectly clear what Trump wanted him to do.
“Let’s let’s be clear on this point: It wasn’t just to ask for a pause,” Pence said on Fox News. “The president specifically asked me ― and his gaggle of crackpot lawyers asked me ― to literally reject votes, which would have resulted in the issue being turned over to the House of Representatives and literally chaos would have ensued.”
As vice president, Pence presided over the U.S. Senate on Jan. 6 as Congress worked through objections to certify the election. Per the indictment, “the Defendant and co-conspirators attempted to enlist the Vice President to use his ceremonial role at the January 6 certification proceeding to fraudulently alter the election results.”
When Pence told Trump he wouldn’t go along with his scheme, according to the indictment, Trump complained that his vice president was “too honest.”
Now Pence is one of several candidates competing with Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. So far, Trump has remained far ahead in surveys of Republican primary voters despite his mounting legal jeopardies.
Pence has stood out for his critical comments about Trump’s efforts to steal the 2020 election. Reacting to the most recent indictment on Tuesday, Pence declared that “anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States,” adding that he chose the Constitution over Trump on Jan. 6, 2021.
A spokesperson said that Pence’s campaign has received contributions from more than 30,000 donors, with more than a thousand contributing daily ― a pace that would likely qualify Pence for a crucial spot on the GOP debate stage later this month.
Trump responded bitterly to Pence’s comments on Wednesday.
“I feel badly for Mike Pence, who is attracting no crowds, enthusiasm, or loyalty from people who, as a member of the Trump Administration, should be loving him,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.