Newly unearthed notes from former Vice President Mike Pence indicate a potential involvement of GOP Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa in the Jan. 6 plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, according to MSNBC host Chris Hayes.
Hayes, during his show “All In with Chris Hayes,” reported on Monday night that, until now, there had been no concrete evidence supporting the notion that Grassley played a part in the scheme to replace Pence as the presiding officer of the joint session of Congress that certified the election results.
However, Pence’s recent release of his “contemporaneous notes” from that period, obtained by ABC News, sheds new light on the situation. The notes reveal a meeting between Pence, former President Trump, and his lawyers on Jan. 4, 2021, just two days before the certification.
In the meeting, Trump’s lawyer John Eastman, currently indicted for election interference, presented a six-point plan to Pence. This plan suggested Pence reject the electoral votes from seven states that Biden won, claiming Pence had the authority to do so under the 12th Amendment and the Electoral Count Act of 1887. Eastman also proposed Pence recuse himself due to a “conflict of interest,” allowing Grassley, as the president pro tempore of the Senate, to take over.
Pence’s notes show he rejected the proposal, deeming it unconstitutional. Pence consulted legal experts, including former Attorney General William Barr, and Grassley, who assured Pence he would follow the law and the Constitution.
Chris Hayes described Pence’s revelation as a “bombshell,” asserting that Grassley was aware of the plan to sideline Pence and did not object or warn anyone. Hayes highlighted Grassley’s cryptic comment on Jan. 5, 2021, expressing an expectation to preside over the Senate the next day if Pence was absent, even though Grassley’s office later clarified he referred to a separate session.
Hayes pointed to additional evidence, such as emails from Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and a memo from Trump’s lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, referencing the idea of Grassley taking over from Pence. Hayes argued this indicated a coordinated effort to pressure Pence to step aside and let Grassley or someone else overturn the election.
In conclusion, Hayes characterized this scenario as “damning,” suggesting Grassley’s potential complicity in the Jan. 6 plot and raising serious questions about his role and responsibility in the events of that day.
