After three years and eleven months of loyal service, Vice President Mike Pence will find himself in Congress on Wednesday January 6 under pressure from Donald Trump, who asks him to oppose the certification of his defeat in the November 3 election .
"I hope that our great vice-president will not disappoint us"
, launched the outgoing president in meeting in Georgia Monday evening.
"He's a great guy
," he added,
"but if he disappoints us, I'll love him less
.
"
Tuesday, he returned to the charge on Twitter:
"The vice-president has the power to reject large voters chosen fraudulently"
, he assured.
Read also: In front of his supporters in Georgia, Trump stubbornly locked in denial
Mike Pence will chair the joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate which must formalize, Wednesday, the vote of 306 voters in favor of Democrat Joe Biden against 232 for Donald Trump.
But, according to the Constitution, its role is to
“open”
the certificates sent by each of the fifty states to transmit the votes of their grand voters.
Only elected officials can challenge the results in certain states.
To have the right to express their objections, they must be written down by at least two elected officials, one from the House and one from the Senate.
In this case, parliamentarians can withdraw to their respective chambers to debate it for a maximum of two hours, before voting by a simple majority.
And the objection must be adopted in both forums to be upheld, which given the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives has no chance of happening.
A "purely protocol" role
Despite everything, Donald Trump's tweet puts his vice president in a delicate position.
Very loyal so far, he must avoid the wrath of the president and his fervent supporters, if he wants to keep his chances of running for the Republican primary for the 2024 presidential election. But his role is
"purely formal"
, recalled Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen.
"Despite threats from Trump"
, he
"must defend the Constitution and confirm the vote of the voters"
, he said.
If he holds on to this role, at the end of the count, he will have to announce the winner of the presidency, but also of the vice-presidency and at the same time admit his defeat to Joe Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris.