Former Vice President Mike Pence has confirmed that he took notes on his conversations with former President Trump leading up to the Jan. 6 riot, as Trump repeatedly pressured him to reject the results of the 2020 election during the certification in Congress.

    • dhork@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Well, that, and complying with lawful subpoenas. No lawyer takes these type of notes because they’re keeping a diary. They do it because they know that shits gonna hit the fan eventually, and they want to keep out of the splat zone.

      • Chainweasel@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        complying with lawful subpoenas.

        Didn’t he refuse the subpoena from the January 6th committee though?

        • Jimbob0i0@lemmy.world
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          Yup, he fought that and delayed things to the point he avoided any testimony.

          Which makes all his current comments super bullshit given his avoidance of the right time to talk about it all.

        • dhork@lemmy.world
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          IIRC, he was never actually subpoenaed, but was quite vocal that he wouldn’t cooperate, so the committee simply didn’t bother. They certainly would have taken his testimony if offered.

          The VP does have a unique position, being the only elected person in the Federal Government involved in two branches at once. It’s possible that the committee didn’t want to get bogged down in litigating that as part of the subpoena.

      • hyperhopper
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        1 year ago

        Useless comment. The person you replied to doesn’t say he wasn’t doing that.

        The whole jist of their comment was “why didn’t he release it sooner”, which you didn’t address

        • chaogomu@kbin.social
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          Why didn’t Pence release this shit earlier? Because he thought he could get away with not doing that.

          He took the notes just in case he had to squeal, but Trump is in control of the Republican Party, so squealing like a stick piggy would mean the end of his political career.

          But squealing means possibly staying out of jail. Which would also end his political career, but that’s already sort of over already. Pence obviously thought he could salvage his career after the chants of “hang Mike Pence”.

          So Pence has been trying to walk the tightrope of getting daddy Trump to forgive him, while also trying to not go down with Trump if and when all the crimes hit the courts.

          • trainsaresexy@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I think it’s ok for people to want to protect themselves and are not willing to die on the sword. Maybe not in this situation, but in general. Maybe if whistleblowers had more protections.

        • El Barto@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          He is agreeing with op and adding to the conversation. “Well, that and…”

          That’s what a discussion board is about.

          “Why so?”

          “Yeah, why? Plus x”

          • TWeaK@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            I mean, your comment is doing exactly the same thing but from the other side.

            • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              Nah, I had a light smirk as I watched someone have a freakout

        • lolrightythen@lemmy.world
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          I’ve read worse. They were merely highlighting that the reply had shifted from the topic of OP’s comment.

          It’s hard to read the exact tone of text. Just as I assume yours may have been sent in a much cheerier style than I first assumed. After all, why would you commit the same offense you accused another of?

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Former Vice President Mike Pence has confirmed that he took notes on his conversations with former President Trump leading up to the Jan. 6 riot, as Trump repeatedly pressured him to reject the results of the 2020 election during the certification in Congress.

    “I generally didn’t make a practice of taking notes in meetings over the four-year period of time, but given the momentous events that were unfolding, I did take a few notes to remind myself of what had been said,” he added.

    The four-count indictment brought against Trump on Tuesday over his efforts to remain in power after the 2020 election referenced Pence’s contemporaneous, and previously unreported, notes from the time.

    The former vice president’s notes from a Jan. 4, 2021, meeting detailed various election fraud claims that Trump made, as he pushed Pence to send back or reject electoral votes during the Jan. 6 certification.

    When Pence noted at the meeting that “even your own counsel is not saying I have that authority” to send the votes back to the states, Trump reportedly responded, “That’s okay, I prefer the other suggestion,” in which the former vice president would unilaterally reject the votes.

    I knew the founders of this country would never have given any one person the right to choose what Electoral College votes to accept and which ones to reject,” Pence said in the interview.


    I’m a bot and I’m open source!

    • agent_flounder@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I prefer to not set myself up for further disappointment. Remember when it almost appeared certain that Mueller was going to pin Russia conspiracy shit on Trump? All we got was a lot of “sure looks bad but not enough proof to indict” kinda stuff. Whether because he was kept on a tight leash or the investigation cut off too soon idk. Maybe both.

      As much corruption as there is in politics at the higher levels, and as much as the richy-riches aren’t held to the same legal standard as the rest of us peons, I think it is a good idea to wait and see and not get ahead of ourselves.

    • El Barto@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      There appeared no chance that he would win the 2016 elections so… I’ll believe it when I see it.

      • Hoomod@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Gotta thank the electoral college (again) for that

        Came down to like 100k votes in a handful of swing states that gave him the win.

        • El Barto@lemmy.world
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          Oh sure. But my point is that he should have been in jail even before he was a candidate. The justice system failed the American people years ago. I hope I’m wrong and he finally goes to prison.

    • trainsaresexy@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The first criminal trial is March 2024, election in November. I don’t think he’ll be in jail before the election, and it’s hard to know what is going to happen, but he might win.

  • Uprise42@artemis.camp
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    1 year ago

    All the more reason to convict him as an accomplice. He knew what was coming and still did nothing to stop it.

    • Bramble Dog@infosec.pub
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      Its complicated, because he did stop it. He also immediately took notes and immediately told others about the conversations, actions which clearly paint him as somebody fully versed in the processes of establishing cooperation with law enforcement on an informer basis.

      It is also arguable that the entire insurrection that day was a cover to specifically murder Mike Pence on the Capitol steps. There was day of chatter that the gallow was brought into the city in one of the vehicles in Alex Jones’ caravan. We know that with the charging of Donald Trump, Alex Jones is now essentially the only conspirator of Jan. 6 who remains charge free.

      Whatever we think of Mike Pence, our country still existing might have solely rested in his hands and it appears he did the right thing in the way he knew how. He saved his life. He saved his family’s life. He saved his country.

      • Whiskey Pickle
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        I find the idea of giving Pence one iota of credit for any of that to be profane in the extreme, but if it turns out to be true… ugh… I suppose I would have to. I also don’t believe his motivations would have been anything other than self-serving.

        still, gross. he’s such a terrible person.

          • Whiskey Pickle
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            1 year ago

            at least he respects democracy.

            bigotry and hate are not compatible with democracy, a cornerstone of which is equality

            • DarkGamer@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              It is when one legislates their religious convictions onto others who do not share them.

              • Whiskey Pickle
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                1 year ago

                which is something he advocates, notably the legislation of the ban of marriage equality.

              • diprount_tomato@lemmy.world
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                Like which ones? I’m not American and I don’t have to inform myself of all the laws that were passed 2016-2020 in a country that isn’t mine

                • Whiskey Pickle
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                  marriage equality, for one. he actively advocates for laws banning it, and advocates for laws banning LGBTQ equality in other ways, advocating for laws limiting/eliminating LGBTQ equality, often donating money for the purpose and to politicians who support such measures.

                  but if you can’t make the effort to inform yourself of at least the topic under discussion, then don’t expect others to do it for you before jumping into a conversation. that’s just rude.

                • Pratai@lemmy.ca
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                  1 year ago

                  Then don’t come to a post that deals with American politics asking dumb questions.

            • ImFresh3x@sh.itjust.works
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              Legislative policy based on a certain religion is violent fascism. And anyone who holds office and uses their religion to enact legislation is anti American POS, incompatible with modern civilization, no better than the worst terrorist. And they should not be tolerated in any manner that allows them to hold political power. And anyone who votes for such a candidate is no better than them.

            • Osirus@sh.itjust.works
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              1 year ago

              Waaaaaaaaaaa. I want to be able to push my religion and ideals one everyone and not be labeled an asshole. Waaaaaaaaaaaa.

              • diprount_tomato@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                link

                “Look, I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, I believe in traditional marriage, and I believe marriage was ordained by God and instituted in the law, but we live in a pluralistic society, and the way we go forward, and the way we come together as a country united, I believe, is when we respect: Your right to believe and my right to believe what we believe,” Pence said.

        • SCB@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Broken clock is right twice a day man. Being saved by a piece of shit isn’t fun.

          • Whiskey Pickle
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            1 year ago

            well… he’s not a broken clock. he’s a self-serving asshole whose self-interest just so happened to coincidentally align with not destroying American democracy at that particular moment. it had nothing to do with anything but himself.

            and THAT is what sucks the most, not to mention that people are praising him for it.

            • Default_Defect@midwest.social
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              “the broken clock just so happened to coincidentally align with the current time” Kinda exactly what the phrase is used for.

              • SheeEttin@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Stopped clock, if you’re an “eat your cake and have it too” type of person, because a broken clock might be broken in that it runs fast, slow, or be missing teeth on a gear or sometime causing it to skip.

        • Bramble Dog@infosec.pub
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          Of course the motives were self serving. He likely saw himself going down in history as the man who singlehandedly saved the US and thought it would help him become president.

      • blivet@artemis.camp
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        Its complicated, because he did stop it. He also immediately took notes and immediately told others about the conversations, actions which clearly paint him as somebody fully versed in the processes of establishing cooperation with law enforcement on an informer basis.

        Yeah, I hate to admit it, but I might not be giving him enough credit. When I read about his conversation with Dan Quayle I thought he was trying to find a legal basis for doing what the mob wanted, but it may have been the other way around. He may have been attempting to establish unambiguously that he intended to comply with the law, and he consulted with someone who is not only another attorney, but a former vice president, in order to leave no doubt about what the law mandated.

        • Bramble Dog@infosec.pub
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          Yeah, I think the moment he was first aproacged with this idea, he likely assumed they weren’t asking and began formulating a plan.

      • Nougat@kbin.social
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        He saved his life. He saved his family’s life. He saved his country.

        And then he failed to assure that all of these things would remain safe going forward. This is still going on, and had Pence not refused to be cooperative before, the path forward would be much more clear today than it is.

        Only time will tell whether Pence did just barely enough to avert collapse, or only enough to delay collapse. Neville Chamberlain was trying to keep Britain out of war, and he did, for a time. Until he didn’t, and history remembers the outcome.

        • Bramble Dog@infosec.pub
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          Neither of us have security clearances we really dont know if he has ever refused to collaborate. Confidential informants have to keep their cover.

          And seeing that they attempted to murder him, I am not sure I can say he was able to keep his cover for very long.

        • ikidd@lemmy.world
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          Well, he won’t be the guy on the next test, so I guess we have to hope the next one has some principles (or self-interest that appears as such) as well.

    • perviouslyiner@lemm.ee
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      He refused to go along with the conspiracy - that’s why the votes were counted and why the process was only delayed some hours rather than weeks.

    • ikidd@lemmy.world
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      Doing nothing was doing something. He didn’t cave to rejecting the votes selectively, which is what made that fail. So it seems like Pence did exactly what needed doing.

  • d4rknusw1ld@artemis.camp
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    Let’s see em we should all get to see it Mike. Put this scumbag behind bars. They wanted to cut your damn head off in the street.