The documentary film crew summoned by the “Committee of January 6th” interviewed former Vice President Mike Pence on January 12, 2021, the day before the House of Representatives vote for the impeachment of the then president Donald Trump for inciting the Capitol riot.
In a clip from the documentary by filmmaker Alex Holder, obtained by CNN, Pence receives an email from a member of his staff that includes the House draft resolution requiring Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power, according to the documentary.
Pence says to his publicist, “Yes, excellent,” as he receives the phone with the email. He then offers a pained smile and asks the aide to “tell Zach to print a hard copy for the trip back home.” Pence then composes himself for the rest of the interview.
The next clip shows Pence saying, “I’m always hopeful for America,” juxtaposed against the backdrop of teams erecting security fences around the Capitol building.
Footage of Pence’s interview, which was not previously released, was captured less than a week after pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol in an effort to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. Pence had to be evacuated to safety amid calls from protesters to “Hang Mike Pence”.
The same night Pence was interviewed, the House passed the resolution asking him to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power and deem him unfit for office. Only one Republican, Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, voted in favor of the resolution, which was effectively a symbolic vote held the day before the House impeached Trump for the second time on January 13, 2021.
After the vote, Pence sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying he would not invoke the 25th Amendment. “Last week, I did not give in to pressure to exercise power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not give in now to efforts by the House of Representatives to play political games at such a serious time in the life of our nation.” , wrote Pence.
In the short clip of the documentary that will be released by Discovery Plus, which is owned by the parent company of CNN, Pence does not comment on the content of the resolution. But the video is a small sample of the additional content now held by the committee. However, the documentary claims that during his interview, the former vice president declined to discuss anything related to January 6.
Holder, the filmmaker, appeared on Thursday behind closed doors for a deposition at the committee, which likely asked him about what he has observed over the course of nearly six months as he has had behind-the-scenes access to key Trump figures and even the United States. former president himself.
In a clip from a March 2021 interview with Trump in Mar-a-Lago, the former president is asked directly about what happened on January 6.
“Well, it was a sad day, but it was a day when there was a lot of anger in our country, and people went to Washington mainly because they were angry about an election that they think was rigged,” Trump said.
“A very small portion, as you know, went to the Capitol, and then a very small portion of them came in,” Trump continued. “But I will tell you that they were angry from the standpoint of what happened in the election, because they are smart, and they see, and they saw what happened. And I believe that was a big part of what happened on January 6th.”
Holder’s “Unprecedented” three-part docuseries about the 2020 election will launch on Discovery Plus later this summer. The documentary includes never-before-seen footage of the Trump family on the campaign trail and their reactions to the election result.
Trump and his allies have yet to publicly react to news that Holder has been subpoenaed by the committee or the revelation of what was said in interviews now held by the panel.
The documentary includes interviews with Trump and three of his children: Ivanka, Don Jr. and Eric, according to clips released by Discovery Plus and obtained by CNN.
Like Trump, his family members speak directly to the camera on filming. The interviews can provide new insight into what those closest to the former president were saying before and after Jan.
In a small clip obtained by CNN in December 2020, Ivanka Trump told the filmmaker, “As the president said, every vote needs to be counted and needs to be heard. He campaigned for the voiceless.”
The clip appears to be from the same part of the interview, first reported by The New York Times on Tuesday night and confirmed by the CNN, where Ivanka Trump said her father should “continue to fight until all legal remedies run out” because people were questioning “the sanctity of our elections.”
The interview came days after then-Attorney General William Barr publicly declared that there was no evidence of widespread electoral fraud. Under oath, Ivanka Trump told the Jan. 6 Committee that Barr’s assessment “affected my perspective” and she “accepted what he was saying.”
These comments seem to contradict the sentiment she expressed in the documentary interview.
The documentary also features Pence speaking in detail about the process of choosing Trump as his running mate. He talks about Trump inviting his family to his estate in Bedminster, New Jersey, and playing golf with the then-Republican candidate as part of his vetting process.
The documentary then looks at how Trump attacked Pence on January 6, when protesters called for his hanging, before turning to a clip of Trump’s interview.
“I think I treat people well unless they don’t treat me well, in which case you go to war,” Trump says.
Source: CNN Brasil
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