President Donald Trump is attacking Vice President Mike Pence over rejecting the idea of overturning the election results.
“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!” Trump wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
In a letter he wrote on the same day Congress is expected to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory formally, Pence wrote he does not have “unilateral authority” to reject electoral votes, as IJR previously reported.
“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,” Pence said.
He continued, “Some believe that as Vice President, I should be able to accept or reject electoral votes unilaterally. Others believe that electoral votes should never be challenged in a Joint Session of Congress. After a careful study of our Constitution, our laws, and our history, I believe neither view is correct.”
Pence mentioned the Founders and the Constitution and explained rejecting the votes “would be entirely antithetical to that design.”
He acknowledged voting irregularities and issues with state election law.
“As presiding officer, I will do my duty to ensure that these concerns receive a fair and open hearing in the Congress of the United States. Objections will be heard, evidence will be presented, and the elected representatives of the American people will make their decision,” Pence wrote.
The vice president was reportedly removed from the Senate chamber after protesters stormed the building, as IJR previously reported.
The Capitol was also reportedly placed on lockdown as what seemed to be thousands of pro-Trump protesters flooded the building.