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- Pence allies repeatedly said Trump was made aware that he was in danger during the Capitol riot.
- Trump’s defense team on Friday told Congress that Trump was not aware that Pence was evacuated.
- “At no point was the president informed the vice president was in any danger,” a Trump lawyer said.
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Sources close to former Vice President Mike Pence contradicted statements made by defense lawyers for former President Donald Trump who said he was never aware that Pence was in danger.
GOP Senators Mitt Romney and Susan Collins asked Trump’s lawyer Michael van der Veen whether or not Trump knew that Pence was in danger when he criticized Pence in a tweet as he was being evacuated on January 6 at 2:24 p.m. Vox report
“The answer is no,” van der Veen responded.
He added: “At no point was the president informed the vice president was in any danger.”
Trump is currently facing an impeachment trial in the Senate for a charge of “incitement of insurrection” for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack.
Trump supporters breached the US Capitol and clashed with law enforcement. The riot resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer.
On Wednesday, Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he told Trump that Pence had been evacuated for his safety as rioters were nearing the Senate floor, Politico reported.
"I said 'Mr. President, they just took the vice president out, I've got to go,'" Tuberville told Politico.
The phone call occurred at the same time as Trump tweeted out criticizing Pence for not stoping the certification for President Joe Biden's victory.
Additionally, a senior administration official told The Washington Post that he finds it "inconceivable" that Trump and his team would not have been told that Pence was evacuated. The White House security team is normally told of any abnormal movement that involves the vice president.
Sources told Post told that Pence and his Chief of Staff, Marc Short, had on multiple occasions explained to Trump that he did not have the power to alter the election results. A Pence ally also said that while the former vice president hasn't publically attacked Trump, he is furious that Trump called the mob against him.
The Post added that Trump never called Pence to make sure he was okay after the attack and it was Short, who called Trump's Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, to let them know they were okay.
Short also told Meadows that after the building was secured that they would move forward with certifying the vote, and Meadows did not object, the Post reported.