Mike Pence refuses to back GOP bid to overturn election
Pollemix News – December 30, 2020
Vice President Mike Pence refused to back a last-ditch GOP effort to overturn Biden’s election victory according to lawyers for Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) who launched the petition. The filing seeks to argue that VP Pence should have sole discretion over which electoral votes will be included when the final certification for President occurs on January 06. The goal of the suit is to exclude electors for swing states that Biden won, thus preventing him from reaching 270 electoral votes and subsequently pushing for state legislatures to decide the Presidency.
Even the most ardent Trump supporters are doubtful that the suit will gain traction, thus it is unsurprising that Pence has refused to support it. According to court documents, Gohmert reached out to the Vice President with the hope he would jump on board with the filing but they failed to reach an agreement:
“Plaintiffs’ counsel made a meaningful attempt to resolve the underlying legal issues by agreement, including advising the Vice President’s counsel that Plaintiffs intended to seek immediate injunctive relief in the event the parties did not agree. Those discussions were not successful in reaching an agreement and this lawsuit was filed.”
Pence has been one of Trump’s staunchest supporters but he has been uncharacteristically tight-lipped on whether he supports the President’s attempts to overturn the election. He will be unable to remain under the radar much longer, however, as the January 06 certification is viewed by many as Trump’s last hope of overturning the election putting Pence, who will preside over the proceedings, firmly in the spotlight.
Washington insiders claim that the Vice President is resigned to the fact that Trump has lost and is seeking to minimize the backlash he will inevitably receive when he gavels in the final confirmation of Biden’s victory. A fortnight ago, his aides announced that immediately after the January 06 session that Pence would be leaving on a week-long diplomatic excursion through Europe and the Middle East in an obvious attempt to escape the wrath of Trump and his devotees for delivering ‘the final nail in the coffin’ for the Trump Presidency.
