Former US Vice-President Mike Pence has strongly rejected Donald Trump's assertion that he could have prevented Joe Biden from becoming president. In his most forceful rebuttal yet, Pence stated that Trump was wrong to suggest he had the authority to overturn the election results.
Speaking in Orlando, Florida, Pence said: 'President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election. The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone.' He added that Vice-President Kamala Harris would also have no such right when Republicans win in 2024.
Separately, the Republican National Committee (RNC) voted to censure Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, the only Republicans on the congressional committee investigating the 6 January Capitol riots. The RNC accused them of participating in the 'persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse'.
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel clarified that the phrase referred to 'legitimate political discourse that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol'. The resolution, passed by an overwhelming majority at the RNC's winter meeting in Salt Lake City, says the party will 'immediately cease any and all support of them' as party members.
Cheney responded by accusing Republican leaders of being 'willing hostages to a man who admits he tried to overturn a presidential election'. Senator Mitt Romney tweeted: 'Shame falls on a party that would censure persons of conscience, who seek truth in the face of vitriol.'
The RNC's move is seen as another sign of Donald Trump's enduring influence over the party apparatus, even as some conservatives' loyalty appears to waver. The censure allows the party to redirect financial support from Cheney to her primary opponent.
