Donald Trump lawyer John Eastman requested pardon
WASHINGTON – Former Vice President Mike Pence’s refusal to single-handedly reject electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021, as former President Donald Trump pressured him to do, was the subject of the Thursday House hearing investigating the Capitol attack.
What happened at today’s hearing:
- Pence: electoral count rejection ‘illegal’: Marc Short, chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, says Pence told former President Donald Trump “many times” that any plan to have Pence reject electoral votes was illegal.
- Federal judge: Trump’s order would have been ‘tantamount to revolution’: Federal Judge J. Michael Luttig told the Jan. 6 Committee that had Pence obeyed orders from Trump on Jan. 6, declaring Trump the presidential election winner, it would have “plunged America” into what he says would’ve been “tantamount to a revolution within a constitutional crisis.”
- The vice president ‘cannot possibly’ choose the president: Greg Jacob, counsel to Pence, said that while the Electoral Count Act includes “ambiguous” text, “common sense and structure would tell you” that it “cannot possibly be” that a vice president would have the authority to choose the U.S. president under the Constitution.
- Hannity ‘very worried: ‘Fox News’ Sean Hannity told White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in text messages of his concerns around Jan. 6. On Dec. 31, he wrote, “I do NOT see January 6 happening the way he is being told.” And on Jan. 5, he texted that he was “very worried about the next 48 hours.”
- An intense effort to lean on Pence: Rep. Pete Aguilar said the Jan. 6 committee found that by Jan. 4, Trump had “engaged in a quote multi-week campaign to pressure the Vice President to decide the outcome of the election.” It involved private conversations, a meeting with Congress and tweets from the president.
- Trump lawyer John Eastman’s strategy: Eastman “acknowledged” that his proposals would violate provisions of the Electoral Count Act, Pence’s former legal counsel Greg Jacob said, adding that Eastman thought this was OK because he viewed the act as unconstitutional.
- ‘Jump-ball situation’: Jacob, in describing the standoff that could arise under Eastman’s plans for rejecting electors – assuming courts did not get involved – said result could been an “unprecedented constitutional jump-ball situation” that “might well then have to be decided in the streets.”
- Pence refused to be seen fleeing Capitol: After being taken to a secure location, Secret Service asked Pence to get in a car. The vice president refused. Jacob said Pence did not want to take any chance that “the world would see the vice president of the United States fleeing the United States Capitol. He was determined that we would complete the work” of certifying the election.
- The next hearing is Tuesday: The Jan. 6 committee reconvenes on Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET. Another public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, June 23, at 1 p.m.
Eastman sought presidential pardon
After the attack, White House lawyer Eric Herschman advised Trump lawyer John Eastman to “get a great f— criminal defense lawyer” because “you’re going to need it,” Eastman appealed to the president for a pardon.
“I’ve decided that I should be on the pardon list, if that is still in the works,” Eastman wrote in an email the committee shared. Trump did not pardon Eastman.
– Erin Mansfield
In deposition to the Jan. 6 Committee, Eastman “plead the fifth 100 times.”
Ater Trump did not fulfill Eastman’s request of being on the presidential pardon list, Eastman “plead the fifth 100 times,” while being deposed by the Jan. 6 Committee.
In response to numerous questions about Eastman’s actions surrounding his plan to have Pence overturn the election, he constantly replied “fifth.”
Questions included whether or not he advised Trump that Pence could reject electors, if it was true seven states sent dual slates of electors, and if he could discuss his direct conversations with Trump to the committee. All of which Eastman replied “fifth.”
– Kenneth Tran
Luttig: Trump a ‘clear and present danger’ to democracy
Retired judge Michael Luttig warned the House committee Thursday former President Donald Trump continues to threaten American democracy not because of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, but because he and his allies plan to challenge the 2024 results if they lost that election.
Luttig said Trump and his allies are executing their blueprint for 2024 in plain sight of the American people.
“Today, almost two years after that fateful day in January 2021, still Donald Trump and his allies and supporters are a clear and present danger to American democracy,” Luttig said. “I don’t speak those words lightly. I would have never spoken those words ever in my life, except that that’s what the former president and his allies are telling us.”
– Bart Jansen
Pence started his day in prayer, ended with Bible verse
Jacob said his Christian faith sustained him through the day, and as he…
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