Pence and Trump finally speak up after rift rift

Trump had spent the weekend largely isolated, as his aides distanced themselves from him or limited their time in his presence. Trump canceled a planned trip to Camp David, where his closest aides hoped he would have a good mindset before his final stretch in office. Instead, he spent the weekend being guided by his deputy chief of staff, Dan Scavino, and entered his final full week angrier than ever.

Pence was finally able to “get a glimpse of POTUS’s revenge,” said a source familiar with the situation, using the acronym for President of the United States.

Trump’s treatment of a man who served him faithfully for more than four years outraged those in Pence’s orbit, but also many in Trump’s orbit, who view Pence as the most loyal of the lieutenants whose treatment they considered deeply unfair. And while it seems unlikely that Pence would consider invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office, he has not intervened publicly, allowing the idea to persist, which people close to him described as intentional.

Pence, who is often mocked internally for how deferential he is to Trump, has taken a calm but defiant stance in his final days in office. A source close to the vice president said Pence hopes to spend his remaining days in office telegraphing “to our allies and adversaries that we have a fully functioning government.”

After the two men spoke Monday, a source close to the vice president told CNN’s Jim Acosta that Pence’s advisers are trying to cool down with Trump after his initial protest.

“The feeling is that we made our point,” said the source.

Broken link

The mob event and Trump’s rage at Pence in the run-up to him left their relationship in shambles. Before their meeting in the Oval Office on Monday, the couple had not spoken since before Trump’s rally at the Ellipse last week. Their last conversation was marked by a vulgarity that the president delivered after Pence informed him, for the last time, that he could not unilaterally reject the results of the elections, something that he had already said to Trump in previous meetings that often dragged on. during hours.

On multiple occasions, Trump had sent a random assortment of attorneys, like Jenna Ellis, to the vice president to explain, in his mind, that he could disrupt the results process.

The final conversation left Trump furious, and his anger came during the rally itself, when he told the crowd that he hoped “Mike would have the courage to do what he has to do” and ignore “the stupid people he is going to do. is listening”.

It was the first time in their more than four years as political associates that Trump’s revenge had been trained against a man known primarily for his loyalty. Even when other people who were once close to Trump – from his personal attorney Michael Cohen to his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, to any sort of former aides – encountered similar fates, Pence was saved.

The turn of events left Pence in shock and made him exclaim in anger to a fellow Republican: “After all the things I’ve done for (Trump)!”

Pence also recently learned that pro-Trump attorney Sidney Powell was involved in the lawsuit brought by Trump’s Republican allies against him. Not only was Trump aware, but he had encouraged the effort, people close to the situation said.

Even as the president returned to the White House as his crowd headed to the Capitol, Trump’s anger at Pence did not subside. And as the crowd broke down doors, stormed the building and, in some cases, appeared to be chasing Pence himself, Trump remained focused on perceived disloyalty.

The threats against Pence have not been limited to the particular actions of the rioters on Wednesday. Pence staff have received two threatening emails sent to an internal distribution list from an outside sender in recent days, both before and after the attempted insurrection on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, according to a White House official. Pence himself is not on the distribution list.

Pence’s office declined to comment on the threatening emails sent to the staff’s distribution list. On Saturday, Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said the White House “strongly condemns all calls for violence, including those against any member of this administration.”

After Wednesday’s events, Pence’s allies were appalled that the president failed to call to ensure the safety of the vice president or the safety of his wife and daughter, who had accompanied him as he performed the ceremonial role of overseeing the Electoral College count. . Pence’s brother, Rep. Greg Pence, a Republican from Indiana, was also in. Instead, the president was trying to phone Republican allies to convince them to persist in their futile rejection of the election results.

“Was he at all concerned that an enraged mob he ordered to march to the Capitol might hurt the vice president or his family?” asked a person familiar with the matter.

Pence’s actions earned him praise within the administration, including from national security adviser Robert O’Brien, who tweeted Wednesday that Pence “is a genuinely good and decent man. He showed courage today.”

Pending impeachment

Democrats, however, remain frustrated by Pence’s unwillingness to advance the 25th Amendment, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer made an unsuccessful attempt to call the vice president to discuss the matter last week, but were put on hold with a military aide for 20 minutes before being told that Pence was unavailable.

“I was at home, so I was running the dishwasher, putting my clothes in the laundry room. We’re still waiting for him to call back,” Pelosi said on CBS News’s “60 Minutes” Sunday.

Other Democrats are skeptical that after four years of supporting Trump, including through his attempts to cast doubt on the election results using false claims of voter fraud, Pence can regain his moral standing now.

“All of us, including President Pelosi, will prefer that Donald Trump just do the right thing and resign, or that Vice President Pence really show something of value, at least to himself and his own family, and invoke the 25th Amendment,” said Rep. Ted Lieu said on “CNN Newsroom” on Sunday.

On Saturday, a source close to the vice president told CNN that Pence had not completely ruled out an effort to invoke the 25th Amendment and wants to preserve the option in case Trump becomes more unstable. But he has not had discussions on the issue with members of the Cabinet and it still seems unlikely that progress will be made.

Instead, Pence and his advisers appear to be looking ahead to his final week in office with an eye to his legacy, hoping to tout the administration’s accomplishments. Advisers have been encouraging Trump to hold similar events, including on Middle East diplomacy and deregulation, but it is unclear whether he will agree to do so as he remains consumed by his permanent suspension on Twitter.

Last week, Second Lady Karen Pence was looking for available homes to rent in Virginia, according to a source familiar with her hours.

Advisers have said that Pence hopes to provide a bridge to the next administration and do whatever it takes to help Biden’s team prepare to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Pence and Biden consulted regularly in the early days of the Trump administration, including on foreign policy matters.

On Monday, Pence’s calendar included a meeting of the coronavirus task force, one of the last times the group meets before the end of the administration. Pence did not mention the siege of the Capitol during the discussion, a person close to the task force said.

Trump, meanwhile, had nothing on his agenda.