There is no mistake of the intention of many who stormed the Capitol.
In a bizarre interpretation of the law, they argued that the vice president had the unilateral power to reject Electoral College votes supporting Biden. The Constitution makes clear that only Congress has that power.
But the effort effectively turned Pence into a scapegoat who could be blamed for Trump's loss if the vice president refused to go along with the plan. Trump and his lawyers spent days engaged in an aggressive pressure campaign to force Pence to bend to their will in a series of phone calls and in-person meetings, including one that stretched for hours on Tuesday.
When Pence, who consulted with his own legal team, constitutional scholars and the Senate parliamentarian, informed Trump on Wednesday morning that he would not be going along with the effort, the president "blew a gasket," in the words of one person briefed on the conversation.
Not long after, Trump took the stage in front of thousands of his supporters at a "Stop the Steal" rally, where he urged them to march to the Capitol and continued to fan false hopes that Pence could change the outcome while he was on the floor of the Capitol Chamber."If Mike Pence does the right thing we win the election," Trump wrongly insisted. He repeatedly returned to Pence throughout his speech as he tried to pressure the vice president to fall in line.
But Trump already knew what Pence intended. And as Trump spoke, Pence released a letter to Congress laying out his conclusion that a vice president cannot claim "unilateral authority" to reject states' electoral votes. He soon gaveled into order the joint session of Congress where his and Trump's defeat would be cemented.
Not long after that, members of Trump's rally crowd arrived at the Capitol, where they overwhelmed police, smashed windows, occupied the building and halted the electoral proceedings.
Some had already erected a gallows.
Some were there to publicly hang VP Mike Pence.
Do NOT be fooled into thinking otherwise.
VP Mike Pence was Secret Service grapple-rushed to an underground Capitol location less than five minutes before Ashli Barrett was shot dead at the Speaker Lobby doors, while other lawmakers and aides were STILL hunkered down inside the Capitol Chamber.
Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma told Tulsa World, "I've never seen Pence as angry as he was today."
He said, 'After all the things I've done for (Trump),'" Inhofe added.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an informal Trump adviser, also came to Pence's defense, tweeting that his action of dismissing Trump's threats was "a profile in courage."
It remains unclear how the dynamic between Trump and Pence will play out over the next two weeks and how long the president will hold his grudge. The White House declined to discuss Trump's thinking, but allies said Pence intends to spend the next two weeks focused on the transition.
Pence is also expected to attend Biden's inauguration and Biden has openly welcomed Pence to the Inauguration Ceremony.
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