While speaking with special counsel Jack Smith’s team, former Vice President Mike Pence revealed harrowing details about the aftermath of the 2020 elections.
According to sources, Pence disclosed that in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, then-President Donald Trump surrounded himself with “crank” attorneys.
He added that Trump espoused “un-American” legal theories and almost pushed the country toward a “constitutional crisis.” Sources also revealed that Pence told investigators he’s “sure” that in the days before January 6, 2021, when a violent mob tried to stop Congress from certifying the election, he informed Trump he still hadn’t seen evidence of significant election fraud.
However, Trump was unmoved, continuing to claim the election was “stolen” and acting “recklessly” on that “tragic day.” Smith subpoenaed Pence in February, and the former vice president later sat for interviews. He shared details about handwritten notes currently stored at the National Archives, revealing his misgivings.
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Consequently, Pence is the highest-ranking current or former government official who has spoken with the special counsel team. Smith’s team is investigating and prosecuting Trump for allegedly trying to unlawfully “remain in power” and “erode public faith” in democratic institutions.
Fortunately, Pence’s account sheds more light on the evidence Smith’s team amassed. Questions from Smith’s team repeatedly focused on a book Pence published last year. Investigators sought to have Pence confirm, under oath, an array of post-election stories and opinions he included in the book.
Hence, the former Vice President offered previously undisclosed details showing how his longtime friendship with Trump unraveled in the final weeks of their time in the White House. These include Pence’s repeated warnings to Trump about the then-president’s push to overturn the election results.
In addition, sources said that investigators’ pressed Pence over placing a comma in his book. While recounting a phone call with Trump on Christmas Day 2020, Pence wrote in his book that he told Trump, “You know, I don’t think I have the authority to change the outcome” of the January 6, 2020 election.
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However, Pence allegedly told Smith’s investigators that the comma should have never been there. The former Vice President told Smith’s investigators that Trump was well aware of the limitations of his authority.
Also, in the first few days after the election, Pence revealed that he never saw any “significant allegations of fraud.” But Trump still declared victory and claimed there was “a major fraud in our nation” within hours of polls closing. However, Pence allegedly told investigators he believed Trump was speaking “in very general terms,” not about specific instances of fraud.
According to Pence, Trump privately instructed him to dig into any potential fraud or “irregularities” in the election. Also, the former Vice President revealed that Trump said their campaign “was going to fight” in court and elsewhere.
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However, sources revealed that Pence said he grew concerned when Trump began ignoring the advice of credible and experienced attorneys inside the White House within days of the election. Instead, Trump relied on outside attorneys like Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, who pushed notions of widespread election fraud. According to Pence, this “did a great disservice to the president and a great disservice to the country.”
Pence disclosed that when Trump privately asked him what to do, he told the then-president to “simply accept the results.” However, Trump’s attorneys countered Pence’s claims in an overnight court filing. They suggested that Pence may have been under pressure to incriminate Trump when he testified before the special counsel.
Before his testimony, there was an investigation into Pence’s handling of classified materials after leaving the White House. Consequently, Trump’s lawyers claim Pence tried to curry favor with the authorities by incriminating the Former President. Trump’s attorneys hope to undercut Pence’s credibility should he take the stand against Trump in the election interference trial.
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