Former Vice President Mike Pence’s attorney general stated in a note the day before January 6, 2021 that the vice president would violate federal law if he bowed to pressure from President Donald J. Trump to interfere with certification. by Joseph R. Biden The Victory of Jr.
The three-page note, obtained by Politico and confirmed as authentic by The New York Times, included arguments from Chief Justice Greg Jacob that Mr. Pence could be in a legally precarious situation if he decided to block the certification. of the Results of the Electoral College, either unilaterally or requesting a delay of 10 days in the procedure.
A lawyer who advised Mr. Trump, John Eastman, had insisted that Mr. Pence had the power to take these two actions, highlighting the 10-day delay as January 6 approached. Mr. Eastman pressured his claims in a meeting with Mr. Pence and Mr. Jacob at the Oval Office on January 4th.
But Mr. Pence, who in the weeks following the election told Trump that he did not believe he had that power but would continue to investigate the matter, received concrete guidance from his own aides.
Mr. Jacob wrote in the note that Mr. Pence would probably be overturned by the courts if he made that move.
“At best, if the courts refuse to get involved, the vice president will likely find himself in an isolated confrontation against both houses of Congress, as well as most or all applicable state legislatures, with no neutral arbitrator available. to break the deadlock, “wrote Mr. Jacob on the note.
A spokesman for Mr. Pence declined to comment.
Following its full-time hearing last week, the House Committee investigating the Capitol riots is scheduled to hold three more hearings next week, including one on Thursday in which Mr. Jacob will be a key witness.
This session is scheduled to focus on the pressure campaign on Mr. Pence so that it is inserted in the certification of the vote of the Electoral College, a procedure that is usually common.
Mr. Jacob told the committee that he wrote the note after the meeting with Mr. Eastman, Politico reported.
Mr. Eastman’s conduct has been at the heart of the House’s investigation into the events that took place before the riot. In March, in a civil case arising from the efforts of Mr. Eastman to prevent the committee from accessing a stretch of emails related to his advice to Mr. Trump, a federal judge, said he and Mr. Trump “is more likely than not” to commit crimes. as they sought to annul the election results.
Mr.’s note. Jacob was one of a series he wrote related to the pressure on Mr. Pence after the 2020 election. One came in early December, after Mr. Pence asked Mr. Jacob exploring what his authority was in relation to the January 6 certification.
Another memorandum, also obtained by Politico, was written on 1 January. He evaluated the various allegations of widespread fraud that Mr. Trump had pointed out, including in Georgia, where Mr. Trump has repeatedly made claims that officials said they were unfounded.
The note detailed the statements of six key states, for which Mr. Pence anticipated that House lawmakers would try to challenge the certification, potentially with the support of senators from those states.