Former Vice President
Mike Pence is no hero

Pence and others could have warned authorities about Trump’s plans to subvert democracy

By Irwin Rapoport

July 12,  2022

As the House of Representatives live hearings on the January 6 assault on the Capitol Building to prevent the confirmation of President-elect Joe Biden continue via the counting of the Electoral College votes, the public has been presented with persuasive evidence that former President Donald Trump and his willing enablers attempted to overturn the election results.

The hearings are compelling and the witnesses, videos of investigative committee hearings, and documentation being presented tell a woeful tale of malfeasance and conspiracy to allow Trump to serve a second term. The work of the committee is excellent, and the public hearings are extremely instructive for Americans and people across the planet.

In my view, he [Pence] is not [a hero] and, in fact, he let down the American people with his inaction.

Many government officials were fully cognizant of what Trump and his cabal had been planning, knowing that the actions being contemplated and organized were most definitely illegal and heinous.

Following one of the live hearings which partially focused on Vice President Mike Pence, many described him as a “hero” for refusing to bow to direct and intense pressure from the president, his legal team, White House staffers, and certain Republican members of Congress.

Here are some links to articles that described Pence as a hero:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/17/mike-pence-jan-6-hearings-unlikely-hero/

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/january-6-hearings-mike-pence-service-democracy/661224/

thestar.com/entertainment/opinion/2022/06/17/the-jan-6-hearings-have-cast-mike-pence-as-the-hero-now-he-needs-a-speaking-role.html?rf

And here are some that question and deny the hero status:

cnn.com/2022/06/17/politics/mike-pence-january-6-hearing-dan-quayle/index.html

msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/pence-defied-trump-jan-6-doesn-t-make-him-hero-n1296369

There are many others, pro and con, but the question remains – was Pence a hero?

In my view, he is not and, in fact, he let down the American people with his inaction. Not only was Pence the Vice President, but he was also the President of the House of Representatives. This is critical. Pence was placed in a difficult position and I can appreciate his situation. However, the oath he took in 2017 at the inauguration ceremony was to serve the American people at all times and not an oath to serve the president and be loyal to him at the expense of the American people and the functioning of the federal government.

Pence should have alerted various authorities and the media about what Trump was doing and planning. As we have learned, there was a division in Trump ranks dubbed “Team Normal” and “Team Trump.” Had Pence held a press conference to explain what was occurring within the White House and the Trump administration and the implications of how it was leading to an assault on the Capitol Building, it could have prevented the occupation which led to several deaths, many injuries and placing the lives of many elected officials, Congressional staffers and Capitol Building employees, and citizens attending the ceremony at risk.

The video footage of the occupation says it all, perfectly illustrating how the people who occupied the Capitol Building secured access, vandalized the premises, entered various offices, assaulted security personnel, set up gallows, and simply ran amuck as if they owned the place. Much of the footage, taken by the occupiers who shared it on social media, which ensured many were arrested, was terrifying and downright weird. The QAnon Shaman, Jacob Chansley, very much reflected the many types of Trump supporters who occupied the legislative building.

‘… the oath he [Pence] took in 2017 at the inauguration ceremony was to serve the American people at all times and not an oath to serve the president and be loyal to him at the expense of the American people and the functioning of the federal government.’

As noted, Pence should have intervened before January 6 to avoid the occupation, but he remained silent. As President of the House of Representatives, he could have alerted the head of security for the Capitol Building to request that more personnel be posted outside the building and within, and that measures be initiated to secure windows and doors to prevent them from being breached. Or he could have, on that day, citing security concerns, cancelled the Senate session and arranged for a safe evacuation of the building before the mob started marching towards the Capitol Building.

But Pence did absolutely nothing, and thus the occupation.

However, it is not only Pence whose actions and inactions must be questioned. There are scores of individuals – Trump staffers, federal government employees, lawyers, and others who could have either gone public with their concerns or anonymously alerted government officials and the media that a storm was brewing that would be unleashed upon the nation on January 6.

There are times when one should be loyal to a friend, leader or organization and there are moments when one has to set aside loyalty for the greater good and, in this particular situation, the good of the nation.

‘The ongoing hearings are beneficial, and I hope they shed light on how government works and operates, but also have an impact similar to the gripping much-watched Watergate hearings, which helped bring down President Richard Nixon.’

Thus, it is not only Pence whose actions should be questioned but a great many who could have made a difference and saved lives and avoided serious trauma for many people impacted on that terrible day.

The ongoing hearings are beneficial, and I hope they shed light on how government works and operates, but also have an impact similar to the gripping much-watched Watergate hearings, which helped bring down President Richard Nixon.

The events of January 6 should never have occurred and are a stain upon American democracy. The Trump era, to put it mildly, has been a disaster for the United States and the world, but the silver lining of the ongoing public hearings is that the actions that potentially threaten the very future of American democracy can be halted in their tracks and reversed. We need plenty of people to awake from their slumber, and that sanity be restored and the roots of American democracy be protected.

And I also hope that many, including Donald Trump, are arrested and successfully prosecuted. Justice needs to be meted out and the work of the committee is providing a treasure trove of material to ensure successful convictions.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is providing exceptional coverage and analysis regarding the hearings, be they monologues or interviews with elected officials and respected pundits. Colbert even had Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, The Washington Post reporters who broke the story about the Watergate break-in. We owe much to Colbert and his team of writers.

Here are some links to Colbert’s monologues:

With any luck, Colbert and his team will win some Emmy and Peabody Awards for their coverage.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WestmountMag.ca or its publishers.

Feature image: Storming of the U.S. Capitol Building, Tyler Merbler from USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Read also other articles by Irwin Rapoport

Irwin Rapoport is a freelance journalist.