While traveling to a campaign event in New Hampshire, Vice President Mike Pence was heckled by GOP voters who asked why he opted not to follow through with former President Trump’s constitutionally based electoral challenge of the 2020 election.
“That’s a traitor… you’re a sell out,” hecklers could be heard shouting as Pence shook hands with a small gaggle of supporters on Friday evening. “Why didn’t you uphold the constitution sir?” one man could be heard shouting. “You sold us out!”
“I upheld the constitution,” Pence shouted back. “Read it.”
In the days following the Biden Department of Justice’s latest four-count, felony indictment of former President Trump in connection with his legal team’s objections to the 2020 election results, Pence has come out swinging against his former boss.
“Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States,” Pence wrote in a tweet not long after the indictment was handed down on Thursday. “Our country is more important than one man. Our constitution is more important than any one man’s career,” the GOP hopeful went on to say. “On January 6th, Former President Trump demanded that I choose between him and the Constitution. I chose the Constitution and I always will.”
Much like former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Pence has centered his bid for the GOP’s presidential nomination on opposition to his former boss and ally. He has repeatedly asserted that he chose “the constitution” over Trump’s political ambitions, despite the fact that the electoral challenge had constitutional basis and historical precedent.
Mike Pence has even sought to fundraise off the Biden DOJ’s indictment of the president’s chief political rival. According to the January 6 indictment, Trump said Pence was “too honest” after learning that he had opposed the lawsuit seeking a ruling on the vice president’s authority to reject electoral votes.
Pence claimed he had no constitutional basis for such authority. Trump disagreed and remarked to the Vice President, “You’re too honest,” special counsel Jack Smith claims. As a result, the Pence campaign is selling hats, shirts and additional merchandise that features the phrase “too honest.”
Despite his efforts, Pence has generally polled in the low single digits, though he recently secured the 30,000 individual donor figure that is required to qualify for this month’s opening GOP debate.