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One of the key questions asked in former President Donald Trumps impeachment trial is whether he knew that his vice president was in mortal peril on Jan. 6. There are only two possible answers: Either he knew and didnt care or he was deliberately and cruelly incurious knowing that he could have easily asked about former Vice President Mike Pence and did not because Pences safety did not matter to him as much as the ambient excitement of the insurrection apparently did.

Trump clearly knew enough to be culpable of knowing. And if he did not, it only proves the House managers point that he was negligent in his duty as commander in chief that day.

One of Trumps lawyers, Michael T. van der Veen, told the Senate on Friday that the former president did not know about the danger Pence was in, which itself is so ludicrous a statement as to demand its own investigation. Trump clearly knew enough to be culpable of knowing. And if he did not, it only proves the House managers point that he was negligent in his duty as commander in chief that day.

Around 2:13 p.m. ET on Jan. 6, Pences Secret Service detail decided to remove him from the Senate floor and take him to a shelter-in-place location below-ground. That security camera footage shown by House managers is, in retrospect, some of the most chilling captured that day. Shortly after Pence makes his way down the stairwell, his military aide, carrying a large briefcase, follows. The briefcase is the nuclear "football" an exact copy of the one the presidents military aide was guarding at the White House that day.

That Pence had a military aide and a briefcase was a surprise to many who arent familiar with the command and control of strategic nuclear forces. Suddenly the import of what happened acquired a new salience: Did Trumps inaction place not only his vice president, but the security of the nuclear deterrent in jeopardy?

Short answer: Yes. About 10 minutes after Pence was evacuated, Trump tweeted in rage, Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.

It was, in fact, Trump whose actions had just compromised national security. Given the chaos of the moment, though, it is not inconceivable that Pence might have been separated from the military aide during the evacuation. It is horrifying to speculate about this scenario because it is reasonable to envision exactly that might have happened.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters this week that he "would not get into discussion about specific command and control over nuclear strategic forces." But I will.

Of everything in the briefcase, the decision book is the most valuable to adversaries.

The worst-case scenario we can set aside: No one can use contents of the briefcase to launch anything. There is no button. There is no way to transmit an emergency war order without involving the Pentagon and a number of other command centers having authenticated the users identity and their status as the surviving commander in chief.

So what might have happened if the football was taken by the protesters? Well, they would have had to figure out how to get into it. It does not open easily. So after a while of fiddling, whether at the Capitol or somewhere else, lets assume an unauthorized user managed to pry it open. They would have found a satellite phone, a copy of the latest nuclear decision handbook and a few other classified documents and objects.

Of everything in the briefcase, the decision book is the most valuable to adversaries. It includes a Cheesecake-Factory-like picture menu of nuclear options that would allow an authorized user to order up massive or targeted strikes at a multitude of targets, along with annotations to show the effects of the chosen strikes, damage assessments, expected retaliation basically, all of our most sensitive war plans and their assumptions, laid out neatly for an average person to digest as quickly as possible.

Right before Trump sent the tweet castigating his vice president, he had spoken with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who said he told the president that Pence had been taken from the chamber. And we know Trump was watching television where Pence's emergency evacuation would have been hard to miss.

But if Trump had any question about Pences whereabouts, he could have asked a member of his own Secret Service detail. So closely are presidents and their vice presidents joined to the nuclear football that whenever they take an elevator, advance agents ensure the military aide and a doctor are in the same chamber as the protectee. Pences detail, along with its counterassault team, would have immediately broadcast their emergency action to the services Joint Operations Center, which would have just as quickly notified the presidents agents.

And the military aide would have notified the presidents Emergency Operations Center over a different frequency. Any unusual or unplanned movement of a presidential successor would be reported to the presidents chief of staff or the national security adviser as soon as possible.

In short, theres no way Trump could have been ignorant to the danger that Pence was in, no matter what his lawyers told the Senate. Nor should he have been unaware of the broader security risks.

The U.S. nuclear command, control and communication architecture is as robust or as fragile as the physical security around those who must engage with it, among many other factors. On Jan. 6, Trumps state of mind nearly let it all collapse.

Marc Ambinder is a senior fellow at the USC Annenberg Center for Communication Leadership and Policy. A former White House correspondent and political reporter, he is the author of several books about national security, including The Brink: President Reagan and the Nuclear War Scare of 1983. He is a consultant for Spycraft Entertainment and lives in Los Angeles.

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Trump's actions during the Capitol riot put Pence in danger and national security at risk - MSNBC

Donald Trump likely knew of the danger facing Mike Pence when he attacked his vice president on Twitter during the Capitol riot, according to evidence that emerged during the former president's impeachment trial this week.

GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville told reporters on Wednesday that Trump had called him on January 6, and that he had told the president Pence had just been ushered out. Tuberville didn't specify the time of the call, but footage from the day showed Pence was taken from the Senate floor at 2:14 p.m.

"He didn't get a chance to say a whole lot because I said, 'Mr. President, they just took the vice president out. I've got to go,'" Tuberville said.

His remarks indicated that Trump was more aware of the danger posed to Pence than was previously known.

At Trump's impeachment trial on Wednesday, Democrats also showed video footage of Pence being escorted out of the Senate floor at 2:14 p.m. after rioters breached the Capitol.

Footage of Pence being taken to safety was also shown on live TV at the time, which Trump was watching, a source familiar with Trump's actions on the day told The Washington Post.

Another source told the publication that the White House was routinely briefed on Pence's movements by the Secret Service, and would likely have been aware of the danger he faced.

Yet at 2:24 p.m., Trump tweeted:"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution."

In footage played by impeachment managers Thursday, one rioter was shown reading Trump's tweet aloud and others were shown chanting "hang Mike Pence" as they searched the Capitol for the vice president.

A spokesman for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read more: Democrats are quietly cutting ties with megadonor Martin Elling, a fallen McKinsey & Company star embroiled in an opioid drug consulting scandal

The former president had been piling pressure on the vice president to refuse to certify Joe Biden's election victory, the usually routine congressional procedure that rioters abruptly halted when they attacked the Capitol.

Trump is accused by Democrats of doing little to quell the violence that erupted after his speech to supporters, and seeking instead to whip up their anger further.

Trump's attorneys are slated to present their defense of the former president on Friday.

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Trump most likely knew Pence's life was in danger when he tweeted an attack on his VP during the Capitol riot - Business Insider

Ivanka Trump reportedly urged her father, former President Donald Trump, to make peace with former Vice President Mike Pence after the deadly Capitol riots, sources familiar with the matter told the Washington Post.

A growing rift had emerged between the two leaders after Trump had publicly denounced Pence and encouraged a mob of his supporters to storm the Capitol and stop the vice president from verifying the election results.

Trump's daughter, Ivanka, who had been appointed a senior White House adviser by her father, sought to reconcile the two men and acted as go-between, encouraging her father to reach out to Pence, two people familiar with the planning said.

Five days after the January 6 insurrection, it was reported that Trump had met with the vice president in the Oval Office for the first time to address what had happened.

At the time, reports described the 90-minute-long meeting as "friendly" and stated that Pence wanted to focus on what he and Trump saw as the administration's wins.

But according to several people familiar with the encounter, the conversation was actually a lot more "stilted" and "uncomfortable," the Post reported.

Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who reportedly also helped arrange the meeting, later even jokingly compared it to his efforts at brokering peace in the Middle East, a person familiar with his comments told the Post.

Read more: How Trump's Senate trial could end with a vote to ban him from ever holding federal office again and kill any chances of a 2024 run

The report comes after this week's Senate impeachment trial, presented new evidence that showed Trump was more aware of the danger posed to Pence during the Capitol riots than was previously known.

It was also revealed that Trump never called Pence to make sure he was okay after the attack. Mark Short, Pence's chief of staff, who called Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, let them know they were okay.

During the trial on Wednesday, Democrats also showed Pence's video footage getting rushed to safety after rioters breached the Capitol building. In the video, a military aide, seen following Pence, is carrying a "nuclear football."

The relationship between Trump and Pence is unlikely ever entirely to heal, a source close to Pence told the Post. The two have only spoken once since President Joe Biden was inaugurated, the source added.

While the former vice president is said to be "frustrated" with what Trump did, he plans to remain loyal and not speak publicly about their relationship. According to this source, Pence also does not share the same anger that many former aides have toward Trump.

Pence plans on staying out of the spotlight for a few months, likely respecting the unofficial practice of giving a new administration some time and space.

Trump is currently facing an impeachment trial in the Senate for a charge of "incitement of insurrection" for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack.

Both the impeachment and defense teams have already completed their arguments, and Senators could vote as early as Saturday.

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Ivanka played peacemaker in Trump and Pence's 'uncomfortable' first meeting after Capitol riots, report says - Business Insider

Let justice be done, though the heavens fall is a common saying in English jurisprudence meaning that the rule of law must be adhered to at all costs. The second attempt to convict impeached former president Trump has ended in his acquittal, but the post-mortems of the events of 1/6 have only just begun. Any analysis of 1/6 should include a close examination of the role played by former Vice President Mike Pence. His conduct that day reflected the greatest devotion possible to the rule of law.

Of course, anyone will believe in the rule of law when doing so suits him. But Pence showed his devotion even at great personal cost to himself. Adherence to the law required him to preside over the counting of electoral votes which would certify not only Trumps defeat for a second term, but his own as well. Moreover, he did so even as rioters were demanding that he be put to death, and a gallows was being erected outside the Capitol.

Now it might be argued that Pence really had no choice. The law required him to open the sealed electoral votes submitted by the states, preside over their tabulation before Congress, and announce the final results of the count. He had no authority to reject ballots lawfully submitted, accept ballots submitted from any source other than the electors duly chosen by the states, or say or do anything else to alter the final outcome of the vote count. His legally assigned role was strictly ministerial and ceremonial; he had no discretion. So whats the big deal?

Well, Pence could have tried to take the actions demanded by Trump and his supporters in Congress and in the mob anyway. Doing so would have been illegal and ineffective in changing the outcome of the electoral vote. But he would still have been proclaimed a great hero among Trumps supporters in the Republican base and made himself the odds-on favorite to win the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, should Trump choose not to seek it.

But as it is, Pence, for the time being, must settle for the accolades of, of all people, Democrats. To be certain, Democratic praise has been lavish. One of the Democratic representatives serving as an impeachment manager (prosecutor) said, Vice President Mike Pence showed us what it means to be an American, what it means to show courage. He put his country, his oath, his values and his morals above the will of one man. Another House manager said, Even though the count resulted in the defeat of his party and his own candidacy, Vice President Pence had the courage to stand against the president, tell the American public the truth and uphold our Constitution.

How sincere this praise may be is open to question. Remember, these are Democrats offering it, and Democrats only praise Republicans who say and do things that favor Democrats. Democrats relentlessly charged Barack Obamas two Republican opponents for the presidency, John McCain and Mitt Romney, with their all-purpose smear, racism, until McCain and Romney emerged as opponents of Trump. Should Pence actually win the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, no doubt the Democrats will revert to their usual anti-Pence litany of accusations: Hes a homophobic bigot, a religious zealot, a sexual weirdohe refuses to be alone with any woman other than his wifeand a bauble-headed toady constantly nodding in agreement with everything his Master said.

Yet the Democrats praise of Pence, however insincere it may be, is not necessarily unjustified. He truly does seem to have put devotion to the law above his personal political ambitions and even his personal health and safety as well. Its too bad Republicans have not yet acknowledged this and that his presidential ambitions may suffer at the hands of those who think he should have danced at the end of the rope on the Capitol Hill gallows.

Should further investigation of 1/6 confirm the truth of the Democrats description of Mike Pence, then he surely will have earned the praise of all who believe in the rule of law, though the heavens fall. Whether hell actually win that praise from sources sincerely believing in his merit and virtue is a different matter.

Malcolm L. Cross has lived in Stephenville and taught politics and government at Tarleton since 1987. His political and civic activities include service on the Stephenville City Council (2000-2014) and on the Erath County Republican Executive Committee (1990 to the present). He was Mayor Pro Tem of Stephenville from 2008 to 2014. He is a member of St. Lukes Episcopal Church and the Stephenville Rotary Club, and does volunteer work for the Boy Scouts of America.Views expressed in this column are his and do not reflect those of The Flash as a whole.

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Though the Heavens Fall: Mike Pence and the Rule of Law - The Flash Today

Well, that was a hell of a ride. House impeachment managers wrapped up their opening arguments against former President Donald Trump on Thursday. Trump's defense lawyers take the floor Friday to counter the overwhelming evidence the managers laid out but apparently it won't take them long.

Trump's lawyers reportedly don't believe they'll need the full two days available to them to make their shoddy, legally questionable argument to acquit their client, which has some senators thinking that the trial might wrap up as soon as Saturday. That's assuming, though, that the Senate doesn't vote to allow witnesses to be called.

Neither Democratic nor Republican senators seemed particularly enthusiastic about the idea of witnesses. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., indicated Thursday that the managers haven't decided whether they want to call people to the stand yet, saying, "They will make that decision after the opening arguments of both sides."

Now, you may think this case is a slam dunk for the managers. You may think that there's zero chance that enough Republicans will vote to convict the former president and that we might as well end this sooner rather than later. But if Democrats choose not to call witnesses, they'll be leaving a huge opportunity on the table.

As solid as the managers' case is, it will likely still need the extra emphasis of witnesses testifying under oath before the senators vote on the article of impeachment. And the level of incompetence that we've seen so far from Trump's attorneys, Bruce Castor and David Schoen, makes me think that any of their attempts at cross-examination would do little to bolster their case.

With that in mind, I've come up with a short list of witnesses the managers should call. These witnesses are chosen not just for their ability to confirm the case that's been made, but also for their proximity to Washington, which would allow them to appear on the Senate floor on short notice. And, as I noted before, the Senate has full authority to issue subpoenas to compel them to appear.

Of all the Trump officials who resigned in the aftermath of the riot, it would be wisest to call former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao

Trump himself has declined to appear, but former Vice President Mike Pence should be the top choice to testify. It's Pence whom the impeachment managers zeroed in on as one of the rioters' main targets. And it is Pence who angered Trump on Jan. 6 ahead of the rally by saying he wouldn't overturn the election results. We should hear from him in his own words about what happened that morning and whether he believed Trump's lies about the election results.

Then, of all the Trump officials who resigned in the aftermath of the riot, it would be wisest to call former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. Chao wrote in her resignation note to her staff, which Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., cited Thursday, that "our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the president stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed." She added that it "troubled" her "in a way that I simply cannot set aside."

It seems reasonable to invite Chao to sit for an explanation of just what she meant and what role she believed the former president played in the attack on the Capitol. (It doesn't hurt that Chao is married to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., which could keep the defense from going after her too hard.)

Several senators could be brought to the stand, but freshman Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., jumped to the top of the list Wednesday. Tuberville confirmed on the record that on the day of the attack he received a call from Trump but had to hang up on him abruptly. "I said, 'Mr. President, they just took the vice president out, I've got to go,'" Tuberville said. As several people have noted, that call happened before Trump's tweet threatening Pence further as the mob was already inside the building. Tuberville should recount that phone call under threat of perjury.

Democrats should absolutely call in FBI Director Christopher Wray to bolster their statements about how foreseeable the violence Trump incited actually was.

While the impeachment managers have already artfully detailed the dangers and injuries that Capitol Police officers faced during the insurrection, it would be worth bringing one of them in to speak directly about events. My preference would be to hear from Officer Michael Fanone, who suffered a mild heart attack from the multiple Taser hits the mob administered.

Speaking of law enforcement, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., recently threatened that if Democrats call witnesses, then Republicans will "want the FBI to come in and tell us about how people preplanned this attack and what happened with the security footprint of the Capitol." To which I say ... sure of course, Democrats should absolutely call in FBI Director Christopher Wray to bolster their statements about how foreseeable the violence Trump incited actually was. He could also speak to the indictments filed so far in which rioters have said they looked to Trump for guidance.

And finally, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows should absolutely be compelled to give his version of events. That's one of the biggest black holes right now in the official record, despite the news reports of Trump's apparent delight. Meadows was reportedly with Trump all day, and he would be able to speak to his mood and actions in a way that would solidify the charge that for hours, the former president did nothing to stop the mob he incited.

Alternatives to those six speakers could include either former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who was also with Trump on Jan. 6 and could speak to the many attempts to subvert the election after Nov. 3, and former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, who could answer questions about the delay in deploying the National Guard.

While the rules of interviewing witnesses have yet to be agreed upon, the process doesn't have to drag out the proceedings. Each side could take one day total, eight hours each, to question these witnesses and any others. While a witness an hour or so is a pretty fast clip, it would also preclude any weird tangents or nongermane questioning. And, well, on a personal level I just really want to see what would happen if Schoen or Castor tried to trip up Wray or Fanone on the stand, not to mention having Pence and Tuberville unable to lie or dodge questions.

The managers have done an admirable job planting the events of Jan. 6 firmly in the historical record. Now they need to go one step further. In historians' parlance, they need to incorporate true primary source material from witnesses on hand into the catalogue of abuses that they've already compiled against the former president. They may not guarantee a conviction. But we, the American people, deserve to have their voices included.

Read more from the original source:
Democrats need to subpoena Mike Pence, Elaine Chao and others to testify at Trump's trial - MSNBC