Did Mike Pence betray President Trump?
President Trump has accused vice president Mike Pence of betraying the people of the United States by not blocking certification of the November election electoral votes on January 6. On January 6, Mike Pence certified the electoral count.
The president had earlier tweeted and said in separate comments:
“If Mike Pence does the right thing we win the election. All Vice President Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify and we become president and you are the happiest people. Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn’t, it’s a sad day for our country.
“And I hope Mike Pence comes through for us, I have to tell you. I hope that our great vice president, our great vice president comes through for us. He’s a great guy. Of course, if he doesn’t come through, I won’t like him quite as much.”
Pence Certified the Electoral Count
Pence informed the president before the certification process that he would not block the results. The vice president said he didn’t have the authority to do so. In a letter to the president, Pence wrote in a three-page letter:
“It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not.”
The vice president was furious about President Trump’s comments.
“I’ve known Mike Pence forever,” said Republican Senator Jim Inhofe. “I’ve never seen Pence as angry as he was today. He said, ‘After all the things I’ve done for (Trump).'”
Capitol Riot Sparks Removal Talks
President Trump’s comments motivated a group of his followers to march to the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. On March 6 they entered the building and caused damage. Twitter suspended Trump’s account due to “risk of violence.” See screen shot above. Later that evening, Congress resumed and vice president Pence certified the electoral count.
Now, reports are now surfacing (as of January 6) that multiple Trump cabinet members have discussed invoking the 25th Amendment, which allows the cabinet, working with the vice president, to remove President Trump from office.