Topline
A documentary film crew captured former Vice President Mike Pence’s somewhat opaque reaction (“Excellent,” he says, but with restraint) to seeing a draft Congressional resolution calling for him to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office in the days after the January 6 riot at the Capitol, according to a clip from the documentary CNN aired Thursday.
Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks at a campus lecture hosted by Young Americans for … [+]
Key Facts
In the clip obtained by CNN, an aide hands Pence a cell phone, which apparently displays a draft of the resolution demanding for Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment.
Pence smiles and says “Excellent,” before asking an aide to print out a copy of the draft.
The next clip shows Pence saying “I am always hopeful for the future of America,” as video of crews building security fencing around the Capitol play.
It’s not entirely clear from the clip if he’s celebrating the news, or just unusually upbeat during the tense final days of the Trump administration.
Key Background
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the resolution six days after the attack on the Capitol, saying at a press conference if Pence and Trump’s cabinet didn’t remove Trump from office, Congress would be prepared to move forward with impeachment proceedings. The 25th Amendment gives the vice president and a majority of the president’s cabinet the power to remove a president from office, if it is determined the president is unfit to serve. Pence said in a letter to Pelosi on January 12 he was “shocked and saddened” by the events of January 6, but he did not think invoking the 25th Amendment would be “in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution.” The House impeached Trump on January 13 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, making him the first president to ever be impeached twice. Shortly after, the Senate also voted 57-43 to convict Trump, but that fell below the two-thirds vote required, and he was acquitted.
What To Watch For
The January 6 Committee’s fifth hearing on their investigation into the attack on the Capitol is scheduled to begin Thursday at 3 p.m., and will focus on Trump’s efforts to use the Department of Justice to investigate baseless claims of voter fraud as he tried to overturn the results of 2020 election. The committee delayed the final hearings until next month, citing the need to review new evidence, including the documentary footage from British filmmaker Alex Holder. Holder said in a statement Tuesday he complied with a subpoena to turn over the footage, and would sit for a deposition before the committee Thursday.
Crucial Quote
“As a British filmmaker, I had no agenda coming into this. We simply wanted to better understand who the Trumps were and what motivated them to hold onto power so desperately,” Holder said in a statement. “We have dutifully handed over all the materials the Committee has asked for and we are fully cooperating.”
Further Reading
Jan. 6 Panel Delays Hearings Amid New Evidence—Including Tapes Of Trump Family (Forbes)
Here’s What’s Coming Up In The Next Jan. 6 Committee Hearings—And When (Forbes)
Pence Tells Pelosi He Won’t Invoke The 25th Amendment To Remove Trump (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/06/23/documentary-catches-pences-reaction-to-call-for-trumps-removal-excellent/