Since the August 1, 2023 criminal indictment of Donald Trump in the case of the January 6 conspiracy, former Vice President Mike Pence seems to have suddenly located his conscience and has begun using much more explicit language in public to describe the crimes he was asked to commit by Trump and his cabal of crackpot outside counsel. On August 2, Pence made the following comments at a campaign event in Indiana:
January 6 was a tragic day and I have spoken about it and written about it extensively. I have nothing to hide. By God's grace, I believe we did our duty that day, fulfilled the oath that I had taken to the Constitution and to the American people. The Constitution is quite clear about what the role of the Vice President is in the counting of electoral votes. It essentially says the Vice President presides over a joint session of Congress where the electoral votes that are certified by the legislatures of the states shall be opened and shall be counted and irrespective of the indictment, I want the American people to know that I had no right to overturn the election and that on that day, President Trump asked me to put him over the Constitution but I chose the Constitution and I always will.I really do believe anyone that puts themselves over the Constitution should never be President of the United States. And anyone that asks anyone else to put themselves over the Constitution should never be President of the United States again. I've been very forthright about this issue and I will continue to be.
Now with regard to the substance of the indictment, I hoped it wouldn't come to this. I had hoped that this issue and the judgement on the Presidents actions that day would be left to the American people. But now it's been brought in a criminal indictment and I can't assess whether the government has the evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt what they assert in the indictment and the President's entitled to a presumption of innocence. For my part, I want people to know that I had no right to overturn the election and what the President maintained that day and frankly has said over and over again the last two and a half years is completely false and it's contrary to our Constitution and what the laws of this country provide.
What Pence DIDN'T speak or write about "at length" prior this indictment was the simple fact that he had WRITTEN communication sent to him by John Eastman stating the act he was being requested to perform was a "minor violation" of the Electoral College Act but he was being urged to do it anyway and that Trump had seen that same communique and still urged that final call to Pence. And that was the call at 11:40pm EST well after the riot and after it was known at least one person died in the riot.
What Pence DIDN'T speak or write about "at length" prior to this indictment was the conversation he had with Trump on the evening of January 5 BEFORE the riot in which Trump again attempted to get Pence to agree to reject the certification per their plan. Pence refused and Trump responded by telling Pence he was "too honest." This conversation confirmed that Trump knew his requested action was NOT HONEST, confirming Trump understood the criminality of the plan and Trump's intent to commit the crime anyway.
Had Pence provided that information to the House impeachment team, that might have been enough to convict Trump in the Senate and ensure he never had a chance to regain the Presidency, immunize himself in perpetuity with a pardon then lay waste to the republic.
Had Pence provided that information to the House Select Committee on January 6, that could have shaved months off that exercise and accelerated actual criminal indictments by the Department of Justice and this issue might have been adjudicated eighteen months ago.
Instead, Pence kept these two facts out of the public sphere as long as possible. Why? Pence was hoping other factors would lead to an implosion of Trump's 2024 prospects WITHOUT Pence's damaging information being seen as playing any role. Pence viewed this as vital for Pence's own political prospects for the Republican nomination by avoiding anything that would offend the MAGA cult. Only when it became apparent that Trump would face indictment and that Pence's grand jury testimony would be a linchpin in the prosecution of Trump did Pence decide to put all of his cards on the table.
How crass is Pence's calculation? After the indictment, he is selling T-shirts emblazoned "Too Honest" online as a fundraiser. Prior to these facts being published in the indictment, Pence would have never attempted to fund raise off that fact -- it would offend the MAGA cult. It still will but now that the information is out there, Pence is hoping to rake in dollars from more normal Republicans -- if any such voters still actually exist.
Pence did ONE great thing on January 6, 2021 for which all Americans should be grateful. He allowed the electoral college certification to resume after an disruption caused by an insurrectionist riot promoted online days in advance by Trump. After the crimes of January 6, the constitutional measures available to Congress attempted to function to "quarantine" the virus and remove it from the body politic. As part of that second impeachment process and later House investigations, Pence had multiple opportunities to communicate information that would allow those processes to properly address the crimes that came to fruition on January 6 and do what was needed to identify the offenders and appropriately punish them to ensure it could never reoccur. At every one of those opportunities, Pence weighed the pros/cons of his personal political goals versus the needs of the country and opted to keep his political future protected at the expense of the country.
In the church of American democracy, Pence's reluctance to share the key facts only he could provide are not mere venial sins. These are mortal sins. Knowing how this information could have expedited justice for the country, they are equally treasonous to Trump's crimes.
Here's a great idea for Pence's penance for his sins…
Mike Pence should win the nomination of the Republican Party for President in 2024 and burnish his historical resume by becoming the LAST Presidential candidate of the Republican Party in history as it goes down in flames within him at the ballot box.
WTH
