Trump, Pence meet for 1st time since Capitol riot

Catherine Garcia

President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence met on Monday evening in the Oval Office, the first time they have been together since a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, many of them specifically saying they were there to find Pence.

A senior administration official told The Associated Press the pair had a "good conversation," but did not say whether they discussed the events that led up to the riot. Trump pushed Pence to overturn the results of the election, something he did not have the legal authority to do. During a rally on Wednesday, Trump told supporters he hoped "Mike has the courage to do what he has to do," inciting members of the crowd to go to the Capitol, where they breached the building as lawmakers voted to certify the election results.

Some members of the mob chanted "Hang Mike Pence!" and the vice president and his family were rushed to a secure area. Democratic lawmakers have urged Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office, but the administration official told AP both Trump and Pence agreed on Monday to work for "the remainder of their term" and "reiterated that those who broke the law and stormed the Capitol last week" do not "represent" the "75 million Americans" who voted for Trump.

One person close to Pence told AP aides think Democrats are trying to hurt Pence and make it difficult for him to have a political future. Other allies are outraged that Trump kept telling his supporters Pence could overturn the election, escalating tensions. When Pence was in hiding on Wednesday, Trump never checked in on him, but did rant and rave over Pence's decision to follow his constitutional duty, AP reports.

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