Mike Pence prevented the proclamation of “martial law” on 1/6: Dem Lawmaker

Representative Jamie Raskin suggested on Friday that former Vice President Mike Pence helped stop former President Donald Trump from declaring martial law over his refusal to overturn the 2020 election results on January 6.

Raskin, a Democrat who represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District, spoke to Chris Hayes of MSNBC about Pence’s behavior on the day of the deadly Capitol Riot and how events could have played out differently.

As vice president, Pence has been tasked with overseeing the final certification of the Electoral College’s votes – a largely ceremonial role. However, he had come under pressure from Trump and others to reject the results in favor of President Joe Biden and prevent the Democrat from winning the White House.

Raskin told Hayes: “We were very lucky with Mike Pence.”

“All they wanted Pence to do was push back voters from Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania, lowering Biden’s total below 270, propelling the presidential election into a contingent election,” said Raskin.

In the event that no presidential candidate can reach 270 votes in the Electoral College, the next president is chosen by the House of Representatives. This rare situation has not arisen since the 19th century.

“And there they wanted it because we are voting not one member, one vote, but one state, one vote,” Raskin continued.

“And if they could have done it, which really wouldn’t have been if you look at the various things Mike Pence has done over the previous four years for Trump, they would have won it with 27 states at 22 for the Democrats and one tied. “

“And at that point he probably would have taken Michael Flynn’s advice and imposed martial law and siege, and that would have been the time of the Reichstag,” he said.

Retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, who had served as Trump’s national security adviser from January to February 2017, suggested in December 2020 that the then president could declare martial law and reorganize the presidential election.

Hayes responded to Raskin’s comments on Friday, saying: “If Pence had stood up that day and said ‘I reject them’ there was no recourse.”

“They would just steal it,” Hayes said. “I mean, that’s the craziest thing, and I don’t want to give too much credit to Michael Pence, who got, you know, debased himself a million ways here, but like, it’s what I hear from you and this is my understanding too, which is kind of a stomach-knocking awareness. “

“It’s an extraordinary thing,” Raskin replied. “And no one has yet been able to explain why exactly Vice President Pence did the right thing in upholding the constitutional order that day. But it was a very thin thread on which we we were resting. “

Former President Trump recently denied plans to deploy the military in January this year after a forthcoming book claimed that General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, feared trying coup or other illegal action.

News week asked Mike Pence’s political advocacy group Advancing American Freedom for comment