Former Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to attend an event in Florida on Friday afternoon, when he's expected to address recent attacks by former President Donald Trump.
Amid some lawmakers' desires to amend the Electoral Count Act and more clearly define a vice president's role in results certification, Trump released a statement Sunday saying Pence could have overturned the 2020 presidential election by sending electoral votes from disputed states back to their state legislatures.
Then on Tuesday, Trump released another statement saying the House Jan. 6 select committee should investigate Pence and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for their roles in the Capitol attack.
Pence is scheduled to give the keynote address at The Federalist Society’s Eighth Annual Florida Chapters Conference in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., also is scheduled to attend later in the afternoon.
An event preview says Pence "will deliver remarks about constitutional principles and the rule of law," but aides told The Hill that Trump’s comments about overturning the election likely will come up.
"[Pence] has to appeal to the Trump-wing of the party because they’re rabid, and without them he can’t proceed forward, but they won’t think he’s loyal," a former Trump administration official told The Hill.
"But he also has to appeal to another larger segment of the Republican Party that kind of wants to move beyond Trump and move to a different phase. Trying to bridge both sides of that divide can end up tanking a person's chances."
While in office, Trump and Pence had a close relationship until disagreement arose over the 2020 presidential election. The former president, who said voter fraud in several key battleground states gave the victory to President Joe Biden, wanted Pence to intervene during certification of the electoral results.
Pence, however, as president of the Senate, certified the results following the attack on the Capitol.
Both men are being mentioned as contenders for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Not only is the former vice president being mentioned as a possible candidate, multiple former Pence aides have cooperated with the House select committee investigating Jan. 6.
Marc Short, Pence’s former chief of staff, and Greg Jacob, who served as general counsel to Pence, both have spoken to the committee, The Hill said.
The two men could provide critical information about events leading up to Jan. 6, 2021.
"Trump should be worried. Out of any of these people from the Mike Pence team, Greg Jacob’s integrity is unwavering," Olivia Troye, a former Pence homeland security aide, tweeted Feb. 1.
"He was never one to do Trump’s bidding & he’s always known what’s at stake for our country."
Having acknowledged that he and Trump may "never see eye-to-eye" on the Jan. 6 events, Pence has defended his actions on that day.
During a question-and-answer session at the University of Iowa in November, the former vice president said he was influenced by Founding Father James Madison and the Bible when he made the decision to certify the 2020 electoral results.
In September, Pence said he and Trump had "spoken probably about a dozen times since the inauguration."
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