Madison-Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was then Mike Pence when former President Donald Trump launched a pressure campaign against the Vice President to block Joe Biden’s proof of victory in the weeks following the defeat of the reelection. He has no power to fulfill Trump’s wish, which he called to remind the Vice President of what he did.
Ryan called Pence and his Chief of Staff Mark Short, claiming he did not have the authority to overturn the election results that Pence had planned to prove on January 6, 2021. A hearing of the US House of Representatives Election Commission on Thursday investigating the events leading up to the US Capitol riots.
“Ryan wanted to call and say you knew, but you don’t have any more authority. I said, and we laughed a bit about it, and He said, “I got it.” And he later talked to the Vice President, and I think he had the same conversation. “
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When Pence prepared to publicly deny Trump, he consulted with Ryan and former Vice President Dan Quayle. They both said Pence had no authority to change the outcome of the election.
“I think he’s proud to stand by the president for everything that has been done so far,” Short said in a testimony to the Commission. “But I think he finally knew that faithfulness to the Constitution was his first and most important vow.”
Short’s testimony shows one of the only ways to get a glimpse of Ryan’s reaction to Trump’s efforts to overturn his election defeat. Originally from Janesville, who represented the 1890 district for 20 years, Ryan remained largely quiet in the aftermath of the Capitol attack. Attended Biden’s inauguration A few weeks later.
Earlier this month, Ryan endorsed a rare campaign for South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice, who voted to impeach Trump, and with his support, Ryan had many Republicans since January 6th. He said he wanted to impeach Trump, but “just didn’t” have the courage to do it. “rice Lost his primary this week.
Trump and Ryan have had an icy relationship for years, but most recently were hit in 2021. When Ryan criticized the rise of Republican trumpism..
“If the conservative reason depends on the charm of a populist of a personality, or a second-class imitation, we won’t go anywhere,” Ryan said in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. .. “Voters looking for Republican leaders want to see independence and spirit. They are not impressed by the sight of Jesusmen and compliments swarming in Mar-a-Lago.”
In response, Trump called Ryan the “curse” of the party.
Short’s testimony was presented on the third day of the hearing presenting the evidence collected by the Commission’s investigation. It has focused on efforts to persuade Pence to overturn the elections by Trump and conservative lawyer John Eastman.
Eastman is a key figure in the movement among some Republicans in Wisconsin to continue to drive the decertification of the 2020 presidential election, a legally impossible move. He met with Speaker of Parliament Robin Vos in April and tried to convince Rochester Republicans to move forward with a resolution to withdraw 10 voters from Wisconsin.
Legal experts and constitutional lawyers call this idea an illusion, but it was driven by a candidate for Republican governor and a former Supreme Court judge to lead a taxpayer-funded review of the 2020 Vos election. ..
Contact Molly Beck at [email protected]. Follow her on her Twitter @MollyBeck..
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This article was originally published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: January 6 Hearing: Paul Ryan told Pence that the election cannot be canceled