Republicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election | TheHill – The Hill

Anumber of GOP figures on Sunday said they backed former Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PenceFormer top Pence aide says he 'did not see a lot of legitimate political discourse' on Jan. 6 Republicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election McMaster pushes back on RNC, calls events of Jan. 6 'illegitimate political discourse' MORE in his rebuke of former President TrumpDonald TrumpAbrams fires back at Perdue, Kemp over criticism of maskless photo Biden to visit Israel later this year Manchin crosses party lines in officially endorsing Murkowski MORE's claim that he had the authority to overturn the 2020 election results.

Pence made headlines on Friday when he broke from Trump in the clearest terms yet, saying the former president was wrong in believing he had the right to overturn the election when he oversaw the official count of electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. The former vice president called Trumps suggestion un-American.

I had no right to overturn the election. The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone, Pence said at a Federalist Society event on Friday.

His comments came days after Trumpissued a statementsaying he believedPence had the authority to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Trump's favor.

Pence refused to give in to Trumps pressure and block the certification of the Electoral College results in January 2021.Pence has indicated that he did not know if he and Trump wouldever see eye to eye on that day.

Several Republicans on Sunday came to Pence's defense, saying they agreed he had no authority to single-handedly give Trump asecond term.

Sen. Marco RubioMarco Antonio RubioRepublicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election Rubio says Putin's 'economy should be crippled and hurt badly' if Russia invades Ukraine Sunday shows - Trump-Pence division in the spotlight MORE (R-Fla.) told CBSs Face the Nation that vice presidents can't simply decide not to certify an election when asked if he agreed with Pence.

Pressed on if he believes the former presidents suggestion was wrong, Rubiosaid he would not want Vice President Harris to overturn the results if Trump were to win reelection in the future.

Sen. John BarrassoJohn Anthony BarrassoRepublicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election Sunday shows - Trump-Pence division in the spotlight GOP senator says Pence did his 'constitutional duty' in certifying 2020 election MORE (R-Wyo.) told Fox News Sunday that Pence did his constitutional duty that day.

It's not the Congress that elects the president, it's the American people, he added.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris ChristieChris ChristieRepublicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election Christie: RNC resolution noting 'legitimate political discourse' on Jan. 6 a mistake Chris Christie: RNC chair 'carrying water for Donald Trump' MORE (R) said the actions the vice president took on Jan. 6 spoke loudly, adding that he was glad Pence finally put words to it.

I don't know why it took him so long, but I'm glad that he did, Christie said.

Christie, who served as a Trump adviser,called the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol an effort bythe former president to intimidate Mike Pence and the Congress into doing exactly what he said in his own words last week, overturn the election.

And during an appearance on "Face the Nation," H.R. McMaster, who served as national security adviser under Trump,said he "absolutely" agreed with Pence's take on Trump's comments when asked about the remarks.

All Americans should agree with Vice President Pence,McMaster said.

Its time I think, to demand more from our political leaders, demand that they stop compromising confidence in our democratic principles and institutions and processes to score partisan political points. And as you know, this happens across both political parties and it's just time to stop, he added.

Trumps statement in question specifically pointed to Congresss push to reform the Electoral Count Act as proof that Pence had the power to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The 1887 statute outlines how Electoral College votes are counted.

The effort to reform the decades-old law is gaining momentumon Capitol Hill, with members from both parties viewing the initiative as a bipartisan compromise to addressing voting reform a top legislative initiative among Democrats that has since stalled amid internal party clashes regarding Senate rules.

A coalition of Senate Democrats rolled out legislation on Tuesday that would clarify that the vice presidents role in overseeing the electoral vote count is ceremonial andincrease the number of House and Senate lawmakers needed to back an objection before a vote is triggered in the chamber. Under the law now, only one member in each chamber is required.

The legislation also calls forupping the threshold for upholding the objection from a simple majority in both chambers to three-fifths in the House and Senate.

At the same time, a separate, bipartisan group of senators comprised of 16 lawmakers is working on its own proposal to reform the arcane law. That group is led by Sens. Susan CollinsSusan Margaret CollinsManchin crosses party lines in officially endorsing Murkowski Republicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election Trump, hurdles loom for Senate election reform talks MORE (R-Maine) and Joe ManchinJoe ManchinManchin crosses party lines in officially endorsing Murkowski Manchin: Social spending bill elements must go through committee process Republicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election MORE (D-W.Va.).

Manchin on Sunday told CNNs State of the Union that the true source of the Jan. 6 insurrection was the ambiguity behind the rules for counting of the Electoral College vote, noting that the regulations were not clear.

He said the bill the bipartisan group is working onwould fix that issue.

What really caused the insurrection? They thought there was a kind of ambiguity ambiguity, if you will, and there was an avenue they could go through and maybe overturn the election, because there was. It was not clear, Manchin said.

And when one congressman and one senator can bring a state's authentic count to a halt, it's wrong, and basically not protecting the electors, and you can change electors before you send the here, after the election, all these things. This is what we're going to fix. And we have a group right now that's continuing to grow, he added.

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Republicans back Pence rebuke of Trump on overturning 2020 election | TheHill - The Hill