MIKE PENCE

Mike Pence made two choices that ultimately prevented the United States from enduring a grave constitutional crisis. Both were critical decisions but one was a make or break. This pivotal moment could have sent the US reeling in chaos unlike anything before in American history. The conspiracy went considerably deeper than we initially understood.

The details surrounding the organized attack on the US capitol on January 6th, 2021, have been slightly foggy up until now. The Select Committee is now revealing previously unknown information that fills in the gaps. The set of six hearings scheduled throughout the summer of 2022 aims to carefully present the clearest picture of what led up to that day. We came very close to the transfer of power not happening the way it's supposed to.

In the months leading up to January 6th, many unsavory characters were carefully plotting and developing the reversal of the legitimate election results, including Donald Trump himself. The Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, elected officials in certain states, some with political ties, and some members of Congress accepted the idea that they could prevent the certification of the electoral college votes and replace presidential electors. They wanted to change those votes from Joe Biden to Donald Trump. But it didn't go as planned.

As the day approached on our calendars, much was going on behind the scenes. It became evident that the elaborate plan for Mike Pence to not certify the selected group of states wasn't going to happen. Republican politicians were secretly saying to each other that they were worried about January 6th. Including one representative, Republican Debbie Lesko of Arizona on January 5th, 2021:

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"also ask leadership to come up with a safety plan for members, I'm actually very concerned about this, because we have who knows how many hundreds of thousands of people coming here,"

"We have Antifa. We also have, quite honestly Trump supporters, who actually believe that we are going to overturn the election. And when that doesn't happen — most likely, will not happen — they are going to go nuts,"

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Unfortunately, those words fell on deaf ears. Washington D.C. was woefully unprepared for the mass gathering planned for that morning.

The evidence we've already seen paints a grim picture of the days leading up to January 6th. But one particular part of the plan sticks out like a sore thumb: Proud Boys and Oath Keepers planned to take Washington D.C. by force at the request of Trump. Their groups were coordinated and geared up. They sent out rally calls to their members in the days leading up to the momentous event.

Their plan was sophisticated.

During the debates between then President Trump and Vice President Joe Biden, the President was asked about these Proud Boys. His response was for them to "Stand back and stand by." They took that to heart. And as soon as it was clear Donald Trump had lost the 2020 election, they waited to hear from him. And he didn't disappoint. On December 19th, 2020, he tweeted:

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"Peter Navarro releases 36-page report alleging election fraud 'more than sufficient' to swing victory to Trump https://t.co/D8KrMHnFdK . A great report by Peter. Statistically impossible to have lost the 2020 Election. Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!"

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This was the rallying cry the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were waiting to see. It propelled them into gear. They made the decision to go to the January 6th rally with as many members as they could. It was their 1776, as several Trump allies in Congress have described it. Their plans revealed they made the decision to not wear their traditional outfits and disguise themselves with normal gear. They planned to enter with the crowd unnoticed and go straight for their targets: Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence.

Nick Quested, a witness who gave testimony in the Select Committee hearing on June 9th, 2022, stated that he followed the Proud Boys around during all these events filming them for a documentary. While he followed them in a parking garage on the evening of January 5th, leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers met with each other. They discussed plans to set up caches of weapons around the outskirts of the city in the event that Donald Trump invoked the insurrection act and martial law was declared in Washington D.C. They expected the President to summon them into action after the Capitol was attacked. They called these "Quick Reaction Forces" or QRFs.

Earlier this same day, one member of Congress, Representative Barry Loudermilk was providing tours of the Capitol. It is alleged, and as of right now still unproven, that he was giving reconnaissance tours. They believe it allowed the next days' attackers to produce a blueprint of the building they were planning to storm. Loudermilk has stated that the tours he gave were for family members. However, thirty-four other congresspeople are seeking an investigation into his tours and some of the security footage from that day has been turned over to the US attorney handling the seditious conspiracy cases related to the insurrection.

On the morning of January 6th, Proud Boys and Oath Keepers engaged in their plan. While Trump was still speaking at the rally and riling up his supporters, they were at the Capitol building scoping it out. They even ate lunch before the insurrection occurred. Their plan was to wait for the crowd to join them at the capitol after Trump sent them down there to protest. They planned to use this large crowd to egg them on and break into the Capitol.

Rioters and militia groups attacked police officers who were guarding the Capitol building and severely injured them. Members of the Proud Boys made their way to an upper-floor window, broke it out, and proceeded to pour into the upper hallways.

The Vice President went on to attempt to certify the electoral college votes. Some members of Congress objected to certain results but Pence continued anyways. Soon, pounding and yelling could be heard through the walls of the chamber. The rioters had made it to the hallway outside.

As congress was interrupted and forced to stop counting electoral college votes, Trump watched everything happen on TV.

At 2:24 pm, he tweeted this: ____________________________________________

"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!"

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In the events following the initial attack on the Capitol, certain members of Congress and the vice president were whisked away to safety. Members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were having difficulty accessing their locations but at one point, they were within 100 feet of Pence who was hiding in an office just outside the chambers. Officer Eugene Goodman successfully led the mob of rioters away from the Vice Presidents' location. Once it was clear, he was moved to a more secure area. Then, Pence was nearly shuffled into a limousine waiting for him in an underground tunnel.

Pence feared that if he got into the limousine and drove away, it would validate their effort to stop the certification. He decided to not get in and instead wait it out to continue later in the evening. The secret service agents were adamant about him leaving but he refused.

As this was unfolding, Trump was barricaded in the oval office dining room, watching it all on TV, and allegedly said in response to rioters calling for Mike Pence to be hanged: "Maybe our supporters have the right idea. Mike Pence deserves it".

Members of Congress and other officials were trying to get the national guard to relieve the situation. Capitol police were overtaken and rioters made their way throughout most of the building, damaging property and chanting ominous words. Trump was unreachable for hours. It got to the point where the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff Mark Milley, the highest-ranking military officer below the president, determined that Donald Trump was sympathetic to the attack on the capital. He began taking orders from Vice President Mike Pence and activated the national guard to respond. That has never happened in the history of our country.

But Trump and the militias' plans were thwarted. Pence was safe. Martial law was never declared and the insurrection act was never invoked. Proud Boys and Oath Keepers lost their 1776. It was only after it was widely known that all parties were safe that Trump began trying to call the attack off. But even in his statements to calm the rioters, he called them patriots and glowingly referred to them as loving, peaceful protesters.

If Mike Pence didn't make the fateful decision to remain at the Capitol, we don't know what steps Trump could have taken to keep blocking the certification of the electoral college votes. That one decision saved the country from a period of chaos that would have followed Trump possibly invoking the insurrection act or declaring martial law. We escaped a significant attempted coup on our democracy because Pence fastidiously completed his constitutional duty of certifying the electors.

Mike Pence saved America. Even though it is questionable whether he planned to spill the beans about Trump's illegal attempt to prevent the certification, he didn't allow it to happen.