Former Vice President Mike Pence's notes, which were not previously reported, have emerged as crucial evidence in Special Counsel Jack Smith's indictment against former President Donald Trump.
The indictment, consisting of 45 pages, charges Trump with four federal offenses related to his actions after the 2020 presidential election, including unproven claims of election fraud.
The charges include conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
According to the indictment, as the January 6 congressional certification of the election approached, Trump attempted to pressure Pence to fraudulently alter the election results.
This effort began with false claims of election fraud to convince Pence to accept fraudulent electors or reject legitimate electoral votes, and later escalated when Trump tried to use his supporters gathered in Washington, D.C., to pressure Pence into altering the results.
The indictment refers to several phone calls between Trump and Pence in late December and early January, during which Trump allegedly made false claims about election fraud and sought to persuade Pence to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory.
Pence detailed some of these conversations in his memoir, "So Help Me God."
One notable exchange took place on December 25, 2020, when Pence called Trump to wish him a Merry Christmas, but the conversation quickly turned to January 6, with Trump urging Pence to reject electoral votes
. Pence asserted that he lacked the authority to do so. Four days later, Trump allegedly claimed that the Justice Department had found significant election infractions, a claim the special counsel deemed false.
The indictment also mentions a New Year's Day meeting between Trump and Pence, where Trump discussed a lawsuit filed by Republicans arguing that Pence had the exclusive authority to decide which electoral votes should count.
Pence reiterated that he did not believe he possessed such power under the Constitution.
