A disgruntled Iowa voter asked former Vice President Mike Pence whether he “ever second-guess[ed]” himself after he certified Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, despite then-President Donald Trump repeatedly urging him to block the transfer of power.
Luann Bertrand, the voter, confronted the former vice president during his campaign stop in Sioux City, Iowa. She falsely claimed that Mr Pence had the power to block the certification.
“Do you ever second-guess yourself? That was a constitutional right that you had to send those votes back to the states. It was not like you were going to personally elect him ... You changed history for this country,” Ms Bertrand said.
Mr Pence replied that his role on Jan 6 “continues to be misunderstood,” adding that he “kept” his oath to the Constitution that day.
“Don’t take my word for it, go read the Constitution. Now really, I say this with great affection and respect — the Constitution’s very clear. ... The Constitution says you open and count the votes, no more no less,” Pence continued.
“No vice president in American history ever asserted the authority that you have been convinced that I had, and I want to tell you, with all due respect, I said before and I said when I announced, President Trump is wrong about my authority that day and he’s still wrong. I believe it with all my heart,” the 2024 presidential candidate said.
In a subsequent interview on CNN, Ms Bertrand said that she would consider supporting Pence in the 2024 race, but noted, “he has that one hiccup,” referring to his role in the certification process.
Mr Pence also said at the campaign stop that he would weigh pardoning Mr Trump if he was found guilty of federal crimes.
“I’ve been a governor, I’ve actually pardoned people,” he said. “I think any pardon that you could conduct would only be appropriate to consider after somebody has been found guilty. And I don’t know why some of my competitors in the Republican primary assume the president’s going to be found guilty.”
The former president faces a 37-count federal indictment relating to his handling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago.
