- Mike Pence on Friday said Trump was “wrong” to say he could overturn the election.
- Trump responded in a statement that rebuked Pence and went after Mitch McConnell.
- “Our Country is going to hell!” Trump said in the statement.
Former President Donald Trump released a fiery statement Friday after his former vice president, Mike Pence, plainly called him “wrong.”
Pence said earlier on Friday that Trump was wrong to say the vice president had the power to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
“This week, our former president said I had the right to ‘overturn the election.’ President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election,” Pence said during a speech at the Federalist Society, marking his strongest rebuttal of Trump yet.
In a statement provided to Insider, Trump responded to the remarks by going after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Democrats, and RINOs, or “Republicans in name only.”
“Just saw Mike Pence’s statement on the fact that he had no right to do anything with respect to the Electoral Vote Count, other than being an automatic conveyor belt for the Old Crow Mitch McConnell to get Biden elected President as quickly as possible,” Trump began.
A representative for McConnell did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Trump went on to falsely say that Pence did have a choice to not certify the results, claiming that proposed changes to the Electoral Count Act prove Pence had that authority.
“In other words, I was right and everyone knows it,” Trump said, adding “Dems and RINOs” want to block the vice president from ensuring an “honest vote.”
“A great opportunity lost, but not forever, in the meantime our Country is going to hell!” Trump said.
The Electoral Count Act spells out how Congress counts presidential electors and resolves disputes over results. Lawmakers are seeking to update the bill and clarify language that “leaves a door open for overt partisan manipulation of presidential election results at both the state and federal levels,” Insider’s Grace Panetta reported.
Trump renewed his false claim that Pence could have overturned the election in a statement earlier this week. As vice president, Pence’s job was to preside over the certification of the Electoral College in what is largely a ceremonial role. He did not have the power to overrule the results under the Constitution.
