Posted on 01/06/2021 1:37:52 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday said that he doesn’t believe he has the “unilateral authority” to decide between competing slates of electors.
“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,” Pence said in a statement released just before a joint session of Congress began.
As president of the Senate, Pence is presiding over the session. The purpose of the session is to count electoral votes.
Under the Electoral College system, voters choose electors. Those electors then vote, almost always for the candidate that received the most ballots in their state. Congress meets in the January after an election to tally the votes.
Typically a rote affair, this session has taken on heightened significance after seven states sent two certificates to Washington, one for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and one for President Donald Trump. Biden won the states but Trump has said he was cheated.
Trump and some Republicans argue that Pence has the “exclusive authority” to reject electoral votes for Biden and choose the ones for Trump. A lawsuit asking a court to support that view was rejected by a district judge. An appeal was dismissed, though the plaintiffs earlier Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to intervene.
Yeah, all the folks who said Lin Wood and Sidney Powell are crazy are surely re-thinking that position.
Pence is thinking about the 7-figure lobbyist job his buddy Paul Ryan has lined up for him.
You put it very well.
I HATE what may be coming or started already.
But come on man we can’t let them get away with an election coup.
We will see what happens and I’ll see what Trump has to say.
And if he says it’s time to dance, then I’ll join the dance.
All of them bought off, blackmailed or cowards including Pence!
The President Said “Charge” And Pence did an about face and charged in the wrong direction
That sounds like a fair way to get around this restriction.
Damned coward. Showed his true colors. He was behind the firing of Flynn. He was silent during the fake Russia Mueller investigation. He sat silent during the impeachment, unless you count his staff members that testified against Trump. He let falchi run wild as the Cove a good man. He was silent during the riots. He allowed the Senate to never go into recess for four years to prevent recess appointments. Pence is a coward and a traitor.
What about the US CODE that refers to lawful votes? Guess he never read that.
The constitution also requires states to follow their legislative laws for Presidential elections, but Dems don’t care about that so why should you care so much about the tight rope you think you are adhering to the letter of the law Pence. Get some balls and fight, fight like a Democrat or our republic is gone. Get these effers out of the GOP. They are weak pieces of crap goo for nothing’s.
He apparently stopped following Trump on Twitter, so it wouldn’t surprise me if that was in the works.
It looks like CW 2 is kicking off.
In 2016 the Dems didn’t follow the rules that REQUIRED the objection to be submitted in WRITING.
Therefor Biden was REQUIRED to reject the challenges.
No. He's saying the Vice President does not have the authority to reject votes. He is correct.
Ah, nope. An firing squad for following the constitution?
I would say that Pence had best retire and write his memoirs, because I doubt he could be elected dogcatcher.
I'm wondering that myself.
Look, if there is a genuine legal justification, through precedent or because I somehow misread Article II and Amendment XII, I’ll gladly read it. I just don’t see it.
And don’t think I like this. I’m already planning to skedaddle from Maryland (ugh) to Florida, and also already planning to ignore every command coming from the half-wit and his commie veep.
Massive civil disobedience, baby (for those of us not proficient in arms)!
anyone.... Bueller? Anyone....
Look moron, Congress votes, the VP does not install.
You can’t even get the basics right in your troll.
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Look, you ignoramus. If Pence could "reject" (or any other adjective you might want to use along those lines) votes, then biden would have done it. Then algore would have done it in 2000 against electors that went against himself.
If a VP could unilaterally reject elector votes, they could effectively "install" a president because they could OVERRIDE any congressional vote. You moron you.
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