Minutes before Pence was due to arrive to Capitol Hill to preside over the joint Congressional session to confirm the next POTUS, the VP issued the letter.
For Trump, Pence’s refusal to overturn the election is the final nail in the coffin in the President’s crusade to decertify Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. On multiple occasions Trump pressured Pence to overturn the election. Predictably, the Vice President refused such a request.
Pence concluded the letter with a prayer to God, saying:
‘When the Joint Session of Congress convenes today, I will do my duty to see to it that we open the certificates of electors of the several states, we hear objections raised by Senators and Representatives, and we count the votes of the Electoral College for President and Vice President in a manner consistent with our Constitution, laws and history. So Help Me God.’
Conversely, President Trump declared “We will never concede”, adding “There’s never been anything like this. It’s a pure theft.”
