Pence denies any pressure in post-2020 election calls to state governors.

Former Vice President Mike Pence Denies Pressure to Change Election Outcome

Former Vice President Mike Pence has confirmed that he reached out to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey after the 2020 election. However, he strongly denies any allegations of pressuring them to alter the outcome of the race. In an upcoming interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, Pence also states that he does not recall receiving any pressure from former President Donald Trump to influence Ducey regarding claims of election fraud in the state.

Pence’s Response to Allegations

“I think the record reflects that I did check-in, with not only Gov. Ducey, but other governors in states that were going through the legal process of reviewing their election results, but there was no pressure involved,”

These comments from Pence come in light of reports suggesting that Trump attempted to pressure Ducey himself during a phone call to secure a victory in Arizona. The same report also claims that while Pence contacted Ducey multiple times, he did not exert any pressure on the governor himself.

Trump is currently under investigation by special counsel Jack Smith for a phone call in which he asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780” votes in the state.

Pence’s Explanation of Phone Calls

Pence asserts that his phone calls with the governors were solely for “information gathering” purposes. He states that he passed on the information he learned from these calls to Trump.

“It was no more, no less than that,”

Pence also acknowledges that he and Trump, who is also running for president in 2024, have a “strong difference” in opinion regarding the 2020 race.

“The president and I continue to have a strong difference. I’ll always believe that by God’s grace, I did my duty under the Constitution that day in presiding over a joint session of Congress in the aftermath of the mayhem and the rioting. But in the days of November and December, this was an orderly process.”

A spokesperson for Governor Ducey, Daniel Scarpinato, stated that the report about the phone call is not new and is not news to anyone. Ducey stands by his decision to certify the election and considers the issue to be in the past.

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