The vice president does not have the authority to unilaterally overturn the results of an election, and doing so would have amounted to a profound break from precedent and democratic norms in the U.S.
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump said the committee investigating his role in sparking the violent Jan. 6 insurrection should instead probe “why Mike Pence did not send back the votes for recertification or approval.” In another statement on Sunday, he blasted Pence by falsely claiming that “he could have overturned the Election!”
Vice presidents play only a ceremonial role in the counting, but Trump has long insisted that Pence could have overturned the election results by sending the results back to state legislatures, falsely citing mass voter fraud. Numerous state and federal election officials, as well as Trump’s own attorney general, have said the vote was fair.
Pence has so far tried to thread a needle on his actions on Jan. 6, which continue to enrage large portions of Trump’s base. Pence has said he and Trump will likely never see “eye to eye” on what happened that day, when a mob of Trump supporters violently smashed through the U.S. Capitol building, assaulting police officers and hunting down lawmakers, including Pence. But Pence has defended his actions, saying he was abiding by his constitutional role.
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