(A7) Former US President Donald Trump has blamed former US Vice President Mike Pence for fomenting the Ukraine war by refusing to overturn the 2020 election results.
Newsweek reports that Trump attacked his former VP in a statement made just before a hearing investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots that Pence’s actions had led to everything from war, to inflation, high gas prices and the botched withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Trump also shared the statement to his Truth Social account as the hearing aired.
Trump alleged that Pence had told both him and other officials that “there was nothing he could do about the Electoral Vote Count–it was etched in stone.” Trump argued that Pence was incorrect since “the Democrats and RINOs,” (Republicans in name only) are now “working so hard to make sure there is nothing a VP can do” to change the outcome of an election.
On Wednesday, bipartisan legislation was introduced to reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887 and ensure that a vice president would only be able to count Electoral College vote tallies based on the voters’ choice in each state.
Trump insisted that he had not asked Pence to overturn the outcome, only to return the slates to the individual states, leading to “possible retabulation and correction based on largescale Voter Fraud and Irregularities.” Pence’s refusal to do so, he claimed, “may have proven to be an Election-changing event.”
“We would have no inflation, inexpensive gasoline, be energy dominant, have no war or largescale death with Russia and Ukraine (this conflict never would have happened), would have left Afghanistan on same timetable, but with dignity and strength,” Trump said. “And would have kept Bagram Air Base, not had dead soldiers, taken out all American hostages, and would not have given the Taliban $85 billion worth of first-class military equipment.”
“What a difference it would have made if the State Legislatures had another crack at looking at all of the Fraud, Abuse, and Irregularities that have been found,” he added. “Our Country would have been a different place!”
