In a speech to a conservative group in Florida, former Vice President Mike Pence issued a stinging rebuke of his old boss, saying former President Donald Trump was "wrong" for asserting he had the power to overturn the election results on Jan. 6.

What You Need To Know

  • Former Vice President Mike Pence issued a blistering rebuke of former President Donald Trump at a conservative gathering on Friday: "President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election."

  • Pence appearted to be responding to a statement the former president issued earlier this week in which he falsely suggested that the vice president had the power to overturn the election

  • As vice presidents carry a largely ceremonial role at the counting of Electoral College votes, Pence did not have any such power to overturn the election

  • Pence's comments come the same day that the Republican National Committee voted to censure Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., for joining the House Jan. 6 panel, and formally declared that the Jan. 6 riot was "legitimate political discourse"

"President Trump is wrong," Pence said Friday at a gathering of the Florida chapter of the Federalist Society. "I had no right to overturn the election."

Pence appearted to be responding to a statement the former president issued earlier this week in which he falsely suggested that the vice president had the power to overturn the election. 

"Unfortunately, he didn’t exercise that power, he could have overturned the Election!” Trump's statement read in part.

Trump also issued another statement, saying that the House committee proving the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol should instead investigate "why Mike Pence did not send back the votes for recertification or approval."

As vice presidents carry a largely ceremonial role at the counting of Electoral College votes, Pence did not have any such power to overturn the election. There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, a statement backed up by officials from both parties. Claims of voter fraud brought by Trump and his allies were rejected from courts nationwide, including the Supreme Court.

"The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone," he added. "And frankly, there is no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president."

"Under the Constitution, I had no right to change the outcome of our election," Pence added. "And Kamala Harris will have no right to overturn the election when we beat them in 2024."

Pence's comments come the same day that the Republican National Committee voted to censure Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., for joining the House Jan. 6 panel, and formally declared that the Jan. 6 riot was "legitimate political discourse."

In response, Cheney shared a video of the events of Jan. 6, writing: "This was January 6th. This is not “legitimate political discourse.”

It also comes amid reports that Pence's aides have testified privately before the Jan. 6 panel this week.

As the pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election, some of them chanted "Hang Mike Pence."

"I understand the disappointment so many feel about the last election," Pence acknowledged. "I was on the ballot."

"But whatever the future holds, I know we did our duty that day," he continued, adding: "The truth is there’s more at stake than our party or our political fortunes. If we lose faith in the Constitution, we won’t just lose elections — we’ll lose our country."

This is a developing story. Check back later for further updates.