The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Trump says congressional investigators should examine why Pence didn’t reject electoral college results

Updated February 1, 2022 at 2:50 p.m. EST|Published February 1, 2022 at 10:15 a.m. EST
Former president Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Conroe, Tex., on Jan. 29. (Michael Stravato for The Washington Post)

Former president Donald Trump on Tuesday advocated a new focus for congressional investigators: why then-Vice President Mike Pence did not take steps on Jan. 6, 2021, to reject electoral college votes from several states won by Joe Biden.

Trump’s exhortation came two days after he created an uproar with a statement suggesting Pence should have “overturned” the election as he presided over the counting of electoral college votes by Congress.