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I was willing to believe that Trump had labeled Pence a traitor on Twitter, but couldn't find the tweet. The nearest one seems to be: "Mike Pence didn't have t

I was willing to believe that Trump had labeled Pence a traitor on Twitter, but couldn't find the tweet. The nearest one seems to be: "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021" That one is hardly friendly to Pence, but stops far short of branding him a "traitor". Or was there one I missed?

ModernMech 5y ago
That's the one. You have to remember the rest of the context as well. This is what Trump told the mob before he sent them to the Capitol: I hope Mike is going to do the right thing. I hope so. I hope so. Because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election. All he has to do, all this is, this is from the number one, or certainly one of the top, Constitutional lawyers in our country. He has the absolute right to do it. We're supposed to protect our country, support our country, support our Constitution, and protect our constitution. States want to revote. The states got defrauded. They were given false information. They voted on it. Now they want to recertify. They want it back. All Vice President Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify and we become president and you are the happiest people. Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn't, that will be a, a sad day for our country because you're sworn to uphold our Constitution. They want to recertify. But the only way that can happen is if Mike Pence agrees to send it back. Mike Pence has to agree to send it back. The radical left knows exactly what they're doing. They're ruthless and it's time that somebody did something about it. And Mike Pence, I hope you're going to stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country. And if you're not, I'm going to be very disappointed in you. I will tell you right now. I'm not hearing good stories. The Republicans have to get tougher. You're not going to have a Republican Party if you don't get tougher. They want to play so straight. They want to play so, sir, yes, the United States. The Constitution doesn't allow me to send them back to the States. Well, I say, yes it does, because the Constitution says you have to protect our country and you have to protect our Constitution, and you can't vote on fraud. And fraud breaks up everything, doesn't it? When you catch somebody in a fraud, you're allowed to go by very different rules. So I hope Mike has the courage to do what he has to do. And I hope he doesn't listen to the RINOs and the stupid people that he's listening to. If you're keeping track, Trump's claim is that the election was stolen through fraud, and the only legal remedy at this point is for Mike Pence to reject the certification of the election and to send it back to the states. Trump tells his followers that if Pence does this, then the Presidency will be won, and that that Mike Pence needs to do this because he swore an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution. A traitor is someone who betrays their country, which is exactly what Trump is charging here. He told his followers that Pence refusing to certify the election is tantamount to breaking his oath to protect the country and Constitution. Trump tweets this during the insurrection, when he should have been Tweeting to calm things down. His followers got that message in real time and gave them further animus to find Pence. You can see it in the chronological videos NYT and Washington Post stitched together. The implication wasn't lost on them.
- tatrajim 5y ago
  Thanks for the detailed reply. As a perennial skeptic and witness to government shenanigans back in the day, I'm keeping a wary, open mind concerning these events. The emerging Glenn Greenwald perspective on early government knowledge and possible participation merits consideration, IMO. https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1412882760675512326 https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1412882760675512326

ModernMech 5y ago

That's the one. You have to remember the rest of the context as well. This is what Trump told the mob before he sent them to the Capitol: I hope Mike is going to do the right thing. I hope so. I hope so. Because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election. All he has to do, all this is, this is from the number one, or certainly one of the top, Constitutional lawyers in our country. He has the absolute right to do it. We're supposed to protect our country, support our country, support our Constitution, and protect our constitution. States want to revote. The states got defrauded. They were given false information. They voted on it. Now they want to recertify. They want it back. All Vice President Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify and we become president and you are the happiest people. Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn't, that will be a, a sad day for our country because you're sworn to uphold our Constitution. They want to recertify. But the only way that can happen is if Mike Pence agrees to send it back. Mike Pence has to agree to send it back. The radical left knows exactly what they're doing. They're ruthless and it's time that somebody did something about it. And Mike Pence, I hope you're going to stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country. And if you're not, I'm going to be very disappointed in you. I will tell you right now. I'm not hearing good stories. The Republicans have to get tougher. You're not going to have a Republican Party if you don't get tougher. They want to play so straight. They want to play so, sir, yes, the United States. The Constitution doesn't allow me to send them back to the States. Well, I say, yes it does, because the Constitution says you have to protect our country and you have to protect our Constitution, and you can't vote on fraud. And fraud breaks up everything, doesn't it? When you catch somebody in a fraud, you're allowed to go by very different rules. So I hope Mike has the courage to do what he has to do. And I hope he doesn't listen to the RINOs and the stupid people that he's listening to. If you're keeping track, Trump's claim is that the election was stolen through fraud, and the only legal remedy at this point is for Mike Pence to reject the certification of the election and to send it back to the states. Trump tells his followers that if Pence does this, then the Presidency will be won, and that that Mike Pence needs to do this because he swore an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution. A traitor is someone who betrays their country, which is exactly what Trump is charging here. He told his followers that Pence refusing to certify the election is tantamount to breaking his oath to protect the country and Constitution. Trump tweets this during the insurrection, when he should have been Tweeting to calm things down. His followers got that message in real time and gave them further animus to find Pence. You can see it in the chronological videos NYT and Washington Post stitched together. The implication wasn't lost on them.

tatrajim 5y ago
Thanks for the detailed reply. As a perennial skeptic and witness to government shenanigans back in the day, I'm keeping a wary, open mind concerning these events. The emerging Glenn Greenwald perspective on early government knowledge and possible participation merits consideration, IMO. https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1412882760675512326 https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1412882760675512326