COLUMBUS, Ind. — As former Vice President Mike Pence returns to civilian life, the rough drafts of history are already being written on the Columbus native’s whirlwind four years in the Trump administration as speculation grows on what the future may have in store.
While opinions differ on what Pence’s most lasting legacy will be, near the top of the list will likely be his decision to defy former President Donald Trump’s repeated attempts to pressure him to use powers he did not have to decertify Electoral College votes during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.
Trump had falsely claimed on numerous occasions that Pence, who presided over the joint session, had unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted.
Neither the Constitution nor congressional statute grants the vice president any such powers, according to wire reports. It is up to the House and Senate to voice objections, and states’ electors were chosen in accordance with state law, not fraudulently.
During the session on Jan. 6, a violent mob of Trump supporters forced their way into the Capitol in a failed attempt to halt the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, resulting in five deaths. Some of the pro-Trump protesters were heard yelling “Hang Mike Pence” during the riot and a gallows had been set up outside the Capitol by protestors.
“His legacy will be defined by what happened in January,” said Leslie Lenkowsky, an emeritus professor at the Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs who has known Pence since the 1990s. “…Lots of people felt he had been too accommodating to some of the things that the Trump administration did, but he certainly stood up when it really counted.”
For the complete story, see Monday’s Republic.
