Former President Donald Trump on Sunday admitted in a written statement that he wanted his former Vice President Mike Pence to “overturn the election” and railed against efforts to put laws in place to prevent something like that from ever happening.
“If the Vice President (Mike Pence) had ‘absolutely no right’ to change the Presidential Election results in the Senate, despite fraud and many other irregularities, how come the Democrats and RINO Republicans, like Wacky Susan Collins, are desperately trying to pass legislation that will not allow the Vice President to change the results of the election?” Trump said in the statement, continuing to peddle his lies that the 2020 election was not secure.
“Actually, what they are saying, is that Mike Pence did have the right to change the outcome, and they now want to take that right away. Unfortunately, he didn’t exercise that power, he could have overturned the Election!”
He was apparently referring to the push to reform the Electoral Count Act.
Both Democrats and Republicans have indicated they would like to correct ambiguities in the 1887 law, which Trump exploited to try and pressure Pence to block the certification of the election on Jan. 6, 2021. Pence refused.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said last week that “We need to clarify: What is the role of the vice president precisely, make it clear that it’s ministerial.”
Critics and legal experts piled onto Trump’s statement. Conservative attorney George Conway said it was already clear from a legal standpoint that the vice president’s role in that setting is merely ceremonial, “but sometimes we want to make laws even clearer so that even semiliterate psychopaths have a chance at understanding them.”
The answer is: The Twelfth Amendment and the Electoral Count Act of 1887 already make it entirely clear that the Vice President merely opens the envelopes. But sometimes we want to make laws even clearer so that even semiliterate psychopaths have a chance at understanding them. https://t.co/MZojqccN5G — George Conway (@gtconway3d) January 31, 2022
Unusually unhinged for the disgraced former president. No, the vice president doesn't have the power to reverse an election. Yes, it would be good to clarify that. The opposite position is that Kamala Harris should be empowered to second guess the electoral votes of red states. https://t.co/GjY8Wi18TL — Gregg Nunziata (@greggnunziata) January 31, 2022
This is what prosecutors call guilty knowledge. And also, intent. Predicting Trump will write it off as a)a joke or b)locker room talk and GOP electeds will shake their heads in agreement. https://t.co/iBs6MlR8ul — Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) January 31, 2022
Others observed that Trump was now openly admitting his desire for Pence to overturn the election in his favor.
Talk about saying the quiet part loud. Trump here admits or rather boasts that what he wanted Mike Pence to do was to "overturn the election." pic.twitter.com/yo6SIOKlu0 — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) January 31, 2022
😅Trump admits *in writing* he wanted Pence to “overturn the election.” https://t.co/FtgDNfiOgM — Paula Chertok🗽 (@PaulaChertok) January 31, 2022
Trump now describing his push to overturn the electoral results as a push to overturn the electoral results https://t.co/hOVcnsK54F — Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) January 31, 2022
"I..worked on this story for a year...and...he just...he tweeted it out."
- Jan 6 Investigation Committee — Jesse Ferguson (@JesseFFerguson) January 31, 2022
It’s good of him to confess. — Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 31, 2022
When you tell on yourself https://t.co/Yp2MxCbour — 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿 “𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗶” 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲 (@safarishane) January 31, 2022
Trump boasting in his latest statement: the goal was to overturn the election—after touting at his rally that he’ll pardon Jan 6 insurrectionists. Every Republican candidate & official should go on record with their answer: Do you support sedition & pardoning domestic terrorists? — Olivia of Troye (@OliviaTroye) January 31, 2022
dl_friend on January 31st, 2022 at 05:16 UTC »
As someone else has pointed out, Trump is saying VP Harris should have the right to decide who the next president will be.
UncleAl_2020 on January 31st, 2022 at 05:12 UTC »
Serious question to the trump supporters here. If the vice president can just overturn an election, what's the fucking point of having a vote to begin with?
This seems like common sense.
brain_overclocked on January 31st, 2022 at 03:49 UTC »
Trump's Admission:
Yeah, you're reading that right: he's openly admitting that he wanted a coup; and no, Pence never had that right.
Retort from George Conway: