Former President Donald Trump on Sunday released a statement admitting that he wanted then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 presidential election, claiming that Pence had the power to do.
Thrum’s shocking admission came as bipartisan efforts to reform the Electoral Count Act gain speed in Congress.
In his statement shared on Twitter by his spokesperson, Trump claimed falsely that a bipartisan group of lawmakers working to reform the Electoral Count Act proves his claim that Pence had the power to overturn the 2020 election so he can stay in power.
“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!” Trump wrote.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a member of the committee investigating January 6, quickly responded to Trump’s statement on Twitter.
“This is an admission, and a massively un-American statement. It is time for every Republican leader to pick a side… Trump or the Constitution, there is no middle on defending our nation anymore,” the Illinois Republican wrote.
“He could have overturned the election.” This is an admission, and a massively un-American statement. It is time for every Republican leader to pick a side… Trump or the Constitution, there is no middle on defending our nation anymore. pic.twitter.com/Bp3dfn7cBe
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) January 31, 2022
Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), another member of the House select committee probing the January 6 attack, also responded saying: “I guess the former President is saying that the vice president gets to choose the next president, in which case Kamala Harris will be presiding at the counting of the votes, and I guess he’s saying she gets to choose who the next president is. That’s clear to me, not what the Constitution provides for. He must be kidding.”
