WASHINGTON–As members of the U.S. House and Senate reconvened after an afternoon of chaos, once again to accept the results of the presidential election, Vice Pres., and former Indiana governor Mike Pence, presided over the joint session of Congress, with a message of resiliency.
“Even in the wake of unprecedented violence and vandalism at this capitol, the elected representatives of the people of the United States have assembled again on the very same day to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” said Pence, hours after he was rushed from the chamber.
Before a mob busted into the capitol building, Pence may have divorced himself from Donald Trump, at least in the sense that he was unwilling to do as the president had called for him to do.
“It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not,” he said.
Pence essentially said that he cannot throw out the results of the Electoral College.
Trump laid on the pressure for Pence to do that in a rally earlier Wednesday.
When he returned to the chamber, Pence condemned the violence, which left a woman dead Wednesday evening.
“To those who wrecked havoc in our capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins, and this is still the people’s house,” he said.
Pence also commended the people in law enforcement who stayed behind to defend the capitol.
