Mike Pence caught between Trump and the Constitution
After three years and eleven months of loyal service, Vice President Mike Pence will find himself in Congress on Wednesday under pressure from Donald Trump, who asks him to oppose the certification of his defeat in the November 3 election.
"I hope our great vice president does not disappoint us," said the outgoing president at a rally in Georgia on Monday evening. "He's a great guy," he added, "but if he disappoints us, I'll love him less."
Tuesday, he returned to the charge on Twitter: "The vice-president has the power to reject large voters chosen fraudulently", he assured. Wrongly.
Mike Pence will chair the joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate which must formalize, Wednesday, the vote of 306 voters in favor of Democrat Joe Biden against 232 for Donald Trump.
But, according to the Constitution, its role is to "open" the certificates sent by each of the 50 states to transmit the votes of their grand voters. Only el ected officials can challenge the results in some states.
Awkward position
To have the right to express their objections, they must be written down by at least two elected officials, one from the House and one from the Senate.
In this case, parliamentarians can withdraw to their respective chambers to debate it for a maximum of two hours, before voting by a simple majority.
The objection has to be passed in both fora to be successful, which given the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives is unlikely to happen.
Despite everything, Donald Trump's tweet puts his vice president in a delicate position.
With great loyalty so far, he must avoid the wrath of the president and his staunch supporters if he is to maintain his chances of running in the Republican primary for the 2024 presidential election.
But its role is "purely formal," said Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen. "Despite threats from Trump," he "must defend the Constitution and confirm the voters' vote," he said.
If he holds on to that role, at the end of the count he will have to announce the winner of the presidency, but also of the vice-presidency and at the same time admit defeat to Joe Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris.
