Twenty-four hours before he is slated to appear before a federal judge in Washington, D.C. to be arraigned on four felony charges related to his alleged efforts to remain in office despite the results of the 2020 election, Donald Trump falsely alleged his then-Vice President, Mike Pence, had the power to help him overturn that election.
As The New York Times notes, Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment accuses Trump of “three conspiracies: one to defraud the United States; a second to obstruct an official government proceeding, the certification of the Electoral College vote; and a third to deprive people of a civil right, the right to have their votes counted. Mr. Trump was also charged with a fourth count of obstructing or attempting to obstruct an official proceeding.”
In court on Thursday Trump will be arraigned. It is possible he could appear virtually. He likely will plead “not guilty.”
It’s unknown if U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan will warn Trump about his public comments.
On Wednesday afternoon Trump targeted Pence, who is running against him for the Republican Party’s nomination for President.
“I feel badly for Mike Pence, who is attracting no crowds, enthusiasm, or loyalty from people who, as a member of the Trump Administration, should be loving him,” the ex-president wrote own his social media platform.
“He didn’t fight against Election Fraud, which we will now be easily able to prove based on the most recent Fake Indictment & information which will have to be made available to us, finally – a really BIG deal,” he continues, before making this false statement:
“The V.P. had power that Mike didn’t understand, but after the Election, the RINOS & Dems changed the law, taking that power away!”
In December of 2022, Congress clarified the role of the Vice President to ensure no president ever again could attempt to overturn the election via the route Trump wanted Pence to take.