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Speaking to Vanity Fair, a friend of Mike Pence says the former vice president is still upset over the fact that Donald Trump put him and his family in danger on Jan. 6.

Pence is reportedly "still angry that Trump placed his and his family members' lives in jeopardy," Vanity Fair reports, citing Pence's friend. Trump and Pence "still trade phone calls sporadically," according to their advisers.

During the Capitol riot, Trump supporterswere caught on videochanting "Hang Mike Pence!"

"I heard at least 3 different rioters at the Capitol say that they hoped to find Vice President Mike Pence and execute him by hanging him from a Capitol Hill tree as a traitor," reported Reuters photographer Jim Bourg. "It was a common line being repeated. Many more were just talking about how the VP should be executed."

Trump and Pence have avoided being seen together in public. Pence is reportedly seeking a 2024 presidential bid.

"He's making real money for the first time in his life," said one longtime friend. "Running for president is also a great way of making six-figure speeches."

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Pence is "still angry" that Trump put his and his family's lives "in jeopardy" on Jan 6 - Salon

At Reagan National Airport, I saw a newsstand selling t-shirts with Donald Trump asking, Do you miss me yet? But how can we miss him if he never went away?

The 45th president vacated the White House but not the news cycle, and Republicans want more. Last week, a Hill-HarrisX poll found 77 percent of GOP voters support a Trump 2024 run, as did a Quinnipiac poll, reporting 78 percent support.

Although 2024 is three years away, it appears that Trump has claimed the Republican presidential nomination unless derailed by a severe health, legal or political crisis worse than two impeachments.

If Trump runs again, he is essentially the incumbent, Matt Schlapp, the influential chairman of the annual CPAC conference, told me in a recent interview. Then this week, Trump released a statement quoting GOP pollster John McLaughlin, who says, Trump would win in a landslide right now. He would beat either Biden or Harris. Hes ahead of Harris 49 to 46 in the poll.

Trump topping the 2024 GOP ticket likely means replacing former Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PenceFormer professor claims she was fired in retaliation over COVID-19, criticism of Pence Jan. 6 panel plans to subpoena Trump lawyer who advised on how to overturn election Pence to deliver address on 'educational freedom' in Virginia MORE. Why? On Jan.12, the New York Times confirmed a terse exchange summarizing their schism. The conversation occurred on Jan. 6, before Pence presided over the constitutionally mandated joint session of Congress certifying the states Electoral College votes. After Pence refused the presidents demands to overturn the election results, Trump allegedly said: You can either go down in history as a patriot, or you can go down in history as a pu--y.

If Trumps stars align enough to select a new running mate, one can surmise that his first choice would be a clone of himself. But since science has yet to offer that political option, Trumps favorite off-spring might suffice. Thus, expect endless punditry and comedy about why daughter Ivanka TrumpIvanka TrumpMcCain blasts Graham for refuting funeral remark about Kushner, Ivanka Trump Trump attacks Meghan McCain and her family McCain: Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner had 'no goddamn business' attending father's funeral MORE should be included or excluded from the VP shortlist.

More constructive than long lists of specific names this early in the 2024 cycle are questions and answers that complicate Trumps search for a Number Two.

First, any prospective VP should examine the post-election conflict between Trump and Pence, asking themselves: On Jan. 6, would I have acquiesced to Trumps demands or acted like Pence in accordance with the VPs constitutional role? Inevitably, candidates must be prepared for that question with the correct answer a litmus test for selection.

Second, and related: If, as vice president, Trump demanded that I engage in what is widely considered to be a constitutionally illegal act, how would I respond?

Third, What if before Trump selects me as his VP nominee, he demands that I publicly disavow all disparaging press statements attributed to me concerning him or his actions relating to the 2020 election, impeachment or the events of Jan. 6. Would I comply?

Conversely, what follows is a list of questions from Trumps perspective:

Would this candidate be 100 percent loyal to me during a crisis?

Will they outshine me in the media?

Will they always put me first or focus on positioning themselves to be president?

How physically attractive is this candidate?

How well would they defend me on television?

How does this candidate enhance my chances of winning?

Do I personally like and respect this candidate?

Is this person strong enough to be my VP?

Would they resent and conflict with family members in senior White House roles?

Is this candidate qualified to be president and carry forth my agenda?

Answers to all questions from both perspectives could be tricky, and why my Trump VP shortlist offers only two names coincidentally, both from South Carolina.

In first place is Nikki HaleyNikki HaleyObama looks to give new momentum to McAuliffe US rejoins UN Human Rights Council, reversing Trump exit Smarkets betting site makes Trump favorite in 2024 MORE, twice-elected governor before joining the Trump administration as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Then in 2019, rumors swirled that Trump was considering replacing Pence with Haley on the 2020 ticket to help attract more women voters.

Trump and Haley have a complicated up-and-down relationship. Most notably, her February bombshell Politico interview signaled she was separating from the former president and positioning herself to lead a post-Trump GOP. But in April, Haley inched back, saying, I would not run if President TrumpDonald TrumpOvernight Defense & National Security Presented by Boeing Milley warns of 'Sputnik moment' for China WSJ publishes letter from Trump continuing to allege voter fraud in PA Oath Keeper who was at Capitol on Jan. 6 runs for New Jersey State Assembly MORE ran, and I would talk to him about it.

Then, this month, she switched again, stating her decision to run would not be dependent on Trump. Obviously, Haley and Trump would need relationship counseling before joining forces, but she is a strong, qualified woman and could be an asset to Trump.

In second place is Sen. Tim ScottTimothy (Tim) Eugene ScottBlack Caucus pushes for priorities in final deal Tim Scott takes in .3 million in third quarter Nikki Haley gets lifetime post on Clemson Board of Trustees MORE (R-S.C.), the only African American Republican senator. Scott is running for reelection, raising millions of dollars, and back in March, Trump heartily endorsed him. Scott endeared himself to the former president during a Fox News appearance on Feb. 8. While discussing the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, the senator said, The one person I dont blame is President Trump.

In 2019, Scott announced that his 2022 reelection bid would be his last race, which translated from Washington speak means ripe for higher office.

And why is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisRon DeSantisFlorida strips schools of federal aid for mask mandates Florida surgeon general defends not wearing mask in meeting with ill state senator Florida school district to relax mask mandate for high school students MORE absent from my shortlist? For starters, DeSantis is not a number-two kind of guy. But more serious, Article II of the U.S. Constitution presents an Electoral College voting problem when both candidates on the presidential ticket are from the same state.

Ultimately, anyone who agrees to be Trumps running mate enters a minefield and should enroll in the Mike Pence School of Patience and Constitutional Law.

Myra Adams writes about politics and religion for numerous publications. She is a RealClearPolitics contributorand served on the creative team of two GOP presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008. Follow her on Twitter @MyraKAdams.

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Who is brave enough to be Trump's 2024 running mate? | TheHill - The Hill

Donald Trump is a defeated one-term president who cost the Republican party both houses of Congress. Yet three-quarters of Republicans want him to again run in 2024, polling that has other aspirants keeping their heads well down.

Joe Biden is politically vulnerable, his job approval underwater, his coalition fraying. He could meet the same fate as Trump sans residual enthusiasm.

The next Republican nominee could easily be the next president. Against this backdrop, David Druckers Baedeker to the current crop of wannabes is a perfectly timed and well-informed contribution.

As senior political correspondent for the Washington Examiner, a conservative paper, he knows of whom and what he writes. Better yet, he has access. In Trumps Shadow is chock-full of tidbits and trivia, the stuff on which political junkies and journalists thrive.

Drucker names an array of Republican presidential hopefuls, among them long-shots such as the Texas governor, Greg Abbott; the Nebraska senator Ben Sasse; and Trumps last national security adviser, Robert OBrien.

Drucker delivers deeper dives on former vice-president Mike Pence; the Florida senator Marco Rubio and governor, Ron DeSantis; Nikki Haley, Trumps ambassador to the United Nations; the Arkansas senator Tom Cotton; and the governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan. In doing so, he covers the Republican ideological spectrum.

Drucker also reports on an interview with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort and retreat. Not surprisingly, Trump has kind words for Mike Pompeo, his former secretary of state; contempt for Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader; and disdain for Liz Cheney, the congresswoman from Wyoming and daughter of former vice-president Dick Cheney who turned against Trump over the Capitol riot.

Shes a psycho, says the very stable genius.

Trump has, however, had time to grow appreciative of Lyin Ted Cruz, the Texas senator whose father and wife Trump attacked viciously during the primaries in 2016.

Amid such Trumpian cacophony, Drucker reminds us of just who within the GOP is laying groundwork for runs for the White House, and how realistic their hopes might be. It is a tricky and contorting dance. But though Trump can dominate coverage, he cannot completely extinguish ambitions. Drucker pulls back the curtain on other figures schemes, dreams and hard political infrastructure.

Take Pence. Once a congressman from Indiana, then its governor, he began preparing for the top step on the ladder the moment he was elected Trumps VP. Pence established a separate political operation within the White House and a fundraising Pac of his own, the Great America Committee. He used it to pay expenses while stumping for Republicans around and across the country.

Trump was fine with that. It meant Pence would not look to his boss to pay his travel bills. The veep had a stash of his own.

Since leaving office, Pence has also launched Advancing American Freedom, a political non-profit which touts conservative values and policy proposals. More importantly, it is stocked with Trump loyalists. Kellyanne Conway, the mother of alternative facts. Larry Kudlow, chief White House economic adviser. Newt Gingrich, once speaker of the House, a colleague on the right. All are there.

Drucker also sheds light on Pences defiance of Trump and service to the republic, in the aftermath of a defeat by Biden which Trump sought to overturn with lies about electoral fraud. As a traditional conservative, Drucker writes, Pence was skeptical of the power of the vice-president to unilaterally steal an election. Before he certified results, he sought a legal opinion, which debunked Trumps false claim that he could.

When Trumps supporters stormed the Capitol, on 6 January, some chanted Hang Mike Pence. Others erected a makeshift gallows. Pence was forced to hide, but he refused to leave.

Ten months on, Team Pence seems not to know what to think or say. It was a dark day in the history of the US Capitol, Drucker records Pence telling one crowd. But Pence later told Fox News the media wants to distract from the Biden administrations failed agenda by focusing on one day in January.

The political momentum is clear. Pences own brother, a congressman from Indiana, voted against certifying the election. This week, Greg Pence was the only no-show in the House on the vote to hold Steve Bannon in contempt for defying the 6 January committee. Two-thirds of Republicans deny that the Capitol riot was an attack on the government. The right has a new Lost Cause.

Drucker also does justice to Rubio, capturing the senators tendency to chase the latest shiny object, be it immigration reform in 2013 or police reform after the murder of George Floyd. Hes the butterfly, according to one Republican strategist.

Marco goes to every brightly colored flower and sticks his nose right in the middle of it, [then] takes a little bit of honey and stands in front of it to see if anyones looking at the flower.

In 2016, Rubio won three Republican nominating contests but was battered by Trump in his home state, losing the Florida primary by nearly 20 points. Before 2024, he will face a stern Senate challenge from Val Demings, an African American ex-cop and impeachment floor manager.

Demings has out-raised Rubio recently but Rubio has $3m more in the bank. This, remember, is a politician who once purportedly told a friend: I can call up a lobbyist at four in the morning, and hell meet me anywhere with a bag of $40,000 in cash.

He also has a history of credit card problems. Imagine what a President Rubio might do with the national debt.

If nothing else, Drucker reminds us that though Trump rules Red America, like rust, ambition never sleeps. The starters flag on the race for the Republican nomination has yet to fall. In Trumps Shadow is fine preparatory reading.

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In Trumps Shadow: David Drucker surveys the Republican runners and riders for 2024 - The Guardian

Former President Donald Trump reportedly called into a war room at the Willard hotel in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.

Washington Post reporter Robert Costa, who appeared for an interview Monday with Watergate sleuth Bob Woodward, his colleague and co-author of their new book Peril, said this call to advisers Steve Bannon, Rudy Giuliani, and John Eastman on Jan. 5 raises questions about the extent of White House involvement in conversations about efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and beyond.

These Trump allies, who set up a so-called "command center" at the Willard, according to the Washington Post, were focused on finding a legal strategy to block or delay the certification of Joe Biden's 2020 victory, pinning their hopes on Vice President Mike Pence.

BOB WOODWARD FINDS 'SEVEN CONSPIRATORIAL ACTIONS' BY TRUMP AND BANNON

Costa, who said he was outside the hotel that night and saw Proud Boys and Oath Keepers gathered there, said the call from Trump to the "command center" happened shortly after Trump and Pence had a one-on-one meeting the night of Jan. 5 when Pence informed the president that he didn't have the power to reject electoral votes. The vice president also informed Congress of this conclusion.

That night was eerie because we didn't know at the time that Trump's over at the White House, pounding into Pence in the one-on-one Oval Office meeting, and then after it doesn't go well for Trump, he calls into the Willard war room" Costa said. "That it's not just a Willard war room happening in an isolated way across the street. The president is calling in, Trump's calling in.

He's coordinating this effort to speak for Pence, Costa continued. Remember, late at night as you detailed earlier, Trump's issuing a statement saying, Pence agrees with me. He's effectively taking over the vice presidency, at least in terms of the public message. And this is all just hours before the insurrection."

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Woodward said they spoke to a Republican former head of the Criminal Division in the Justice Department who said Trump may have violated 18 U.S. Code, section 371, which states that two or more people who work together to commit any offense against the United States are guilty of conspiracy.

I'm sorry this sounds technical, but it is a law that says it's a crime to defraud the government in any deceptive way, and that's exactly what they did here," Woodward said.

Trump told Fox News in June that he and Pence maintain a "good relationship," even after the 45th president criticized his former No. 2 for lacking the "courage" to stop lawmakers from certifying the Electoral College vote in favor of now-President Joe Biden, a process disrupted by rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Trump was impeached by the House on a charge of inciting the Jan. 6 siege of Congress but was acquitted by a GOP-led Senate despite seven Republicans voting to convict him.

A House select committee is now investigating the planning around the events of Jan. 6.

Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican member of the Jan. 6 panel, said arguments made by Trump and Bannon that relevant information sought by the committee is protected by executive privilege "appear to reveal" that Trump was "personally involved in the planning and execution" of the events on Jan. 6.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who is the chairman of the House Jan. 6 Select Committee, said during a Sunday interview on CBS "there's no question" when asked about how premeditated was the Capitol attack and he mentioned a subpoena against Bannon. Last week the House voted to refer him to the DOJ for contempt of Congress for not cooperating.

"Clearly, the direction of the committee is to look at that premeditation, to make sure that we identify it, but the worst kept secret in America is that Donald Trump invited individuals to come to Washington on Jan. 6. He said, 'All hell' would break loose. Steve Bannon was part of the conversation and the promotion of Jan. 6. The very podcast you we just listened to talks about it. Steve Bannon was in the war room and he was in the Willard hotel doing a lot of things. So that's why we subpoenaed him," Thompson said.

If the DOJ prosecutes Bannon and he is convicted, he could face fines up to $100,000 and up to a year in prison. Woodward predicted last week the DOJ will go further and appoint a special counsel to investigate the "massive Watergate-style attempt to destroy the process of electing a president."

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Tags: News, January 6, Donald Trump, Bob Woodward, Steve Bannon, Media

Original Author: Virginia Aabram

Original Location: Woodward and Costa report Trump called Willard hotel 'war room' on eve of Capitol riot

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Woodward and Costa report Trump called Willard hotel 'war room' on eve of Capitol riot - Yahoo News

Democrats can be forgiven for having flashbacks when Steve Bannon defied a subpoena to appear before the House committee investigating the origins of the January 6 insurrection, citing executive privilege. That was, after all, the move Donald Trump used for four years to stonewall congressional investigators. So when Bannons lawyer said earlier this month that he wouldnt comply with committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, it was tempting to think: Here we go again.

But things have changed with Trump gone from office. Democrats subpoenas are harder to ignore with the threat of contempt, the charge Bannon is facing. Trump can no longer use executive privilege as the magic words to make his problems go away. And former Trumpworld figures, perhaps seeking to rehabilitate their damaged reputations, have not only mostly complied with Thompsons committee, but have engaged with the panel voluntarily.

CNN reported Tuesday that at least five former Trump staffers have provided information to the committee investigating January 6, either because they believe they have information worth sharing or simply to preempt a potential subpoena. Among those who have come forward: Alyssa Farah, the former Mike Pence spokeswoman who quit as White House communications director in December 2020 because she saw where this was heading. The president and certain advisers around him are directly responsible, she told Politico the day after the Capitol attack.

In addition to those who have voluntarily spoken with the committee, congressional investigators are reaching out to other former White House staffers to solicit compliance. Ive got good reason to believe a number of them are horrified and scandalized by what took place on January 6 and they want to do their legal duty and their civic duty by coming forward to explain exactly what happened, Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin told CNN on Tuesday. Were going to continue to encourage everybody who has relevant information to come and talk.

That engagement, be it voluntary or compelled, already appears to be yielding damning information. Over the weekend, Rolling Stone reported on eye-popping allegations that have been detailed to the committee, including that several House Republicans were intimately involved in planning the January 6 rally and that one, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, suggested Trump would offer organizers a blanket pardon for any trouble that followed. This never materialized, which perhaps explains the feelings of betrayal some rioters have expressed, particularly in the face of major legal consequences. January 6th was a disgrace to our nation that left a scar Trump is ultimately responsible for, one Capitol attack defendant, Thomas Sibick, wrote in a letter to Judge Amy Berman Jackson recently requesting release from jail, claiming he was consumed by the mob mentality. He added, I have vowed to never attend another political protest in my life, that was my first and last!

More is likely on the way: Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark is due to testify next week, and legal scholar John Eastman is expected to be hit with a subpoena. Both were part of Trumps plot to try to overturn his election loss; the latter wrote a memo outlining how Trumps DOJ could go about throwing out the results and undermining the will of the people. Meanwhile, Joe Bidens White House has once again refused to allow Trump to claim executive privilege over records related to January 6, allowing the committee access to more investigative materials. As Axios suggested Wednesday, Bannons failure to cooperate may be an aberration for a committee that actually seems to be chugging along with impressive momentum.

What will ultimately come of it? Its still too early to say. Even the hamstrung Trump-era investigations produced their share of damning revelationsnone of which led to actual accountability in a Washington divided along partisan lines. Those divisions, on Capitol Hill and beyond, havent budged in the last nine months and could still shield Trump and his cronies from consequences. But with a more muscular congressional investigation like the January 6 committee seems to be, there is perhaps reason for Republicans implicated in the findings to be nervous, as suggested by the careful statements by GOP lawmakers named in the Rolling Stone report. I was really busy, Rep. Mo Brooks, who wore body armor to the speech he gave ahead of the riot, told the Montgomery Advertiser, explaining why he couldnt possibly have been part of the planning. I was working on speeches for the House floor debates, he continued, though he added to CNN that while he had no involvement in the insurrection plot, his team may have. I dont know if my staff did, he said. But if they did, Id be proud of them.

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The January 6 Committee Is Finally Getting Trump Allies to Spill - Vanity Fair