I have stated time and again that one of the biggest challenges that Mike Pence will face if he ever hopes to get elected to office again was his role in the certification of the election in 2020.
There is so much misinformation about his role and capabilities that is believed to be true, I am not even going to open that can of worms again.
But, to that point, diehard Trump supporters will never be convinced that Pence did right by Trump, and now they are calling him out on it, reports NBC News.
Let Trump Down
During an appearance in Iowa, one voter asked Pence if he “second-guessed” himself for certifying the 2020 election.
The woman, identified as Ms. Bertrand, asked, “Do you ever second-guess yourself? That was a constitutional right that you had to send those votes back to the states. It was not like you were going to personally elect him ... You changed history for this country.”
Pence immediately shut this down, inviting the woman to read the Constitution so she can fully understand what Pence could and could not do in that role.
He stated that his role on January 6 “continues to be misunderstood,” as well as ensuring voters that he “kept” his oath on that fateful day.
Pence continued, “Don’t take my word for it, go read the Constitution. Now really, I say this with great affection and respect — the Constitution’s very clear. ... The Constitution says you open and count the votes, no more no less.”
He added, “No vice president in American history ever asserted the authority that you have been convinced that I had, and I want to tell you, with all due respect, I said before and I said when I announced, President Trump is wrong about my authority that day and he’s still wrong. I believe it with all my heart,” reports the Independent.
Trump was recently asked about this same subject again, and he again faulted Pence, then pointed to electoral changes made in Congress after Biden took office.
When Bret Baier tried to explain this was done so there could no longer be a wrong interpretation of the role of the vice president, Trump shook it off and stated that if Pence did not have that power, they would not have changed the way the rules read.
Pence also moved to try to woo some Trump voters weighing in on a possible pardon for Trump, stating, “I’ve been a governor, I’ve actually pardoned people. I think any pardon that you could conduct would only be appropriate to consider after somebody has been found guilty. And I don’t know why some of my competitors in the Republican primary assume the president’s going to be found guilty.”
Trump has a stack of legal cases on his docket right now, facing more than five dozen felony charges in all, which are a far bigger obstacle to him winning this nomination than any other candidate in the race right now.
Regardless of how those cases pan out, I doubt Pence will ever be in a position to have to even consider pardoning Trump.
