Tommy Tuberville told reporters on Wednesday that he informed the then-president that Pence was being escorted to safety in a phone call during the January 6 disorder. Trump had called to ask for the Alabama representative’s help in delaying the Senate’s confirmation of Joe Biden’s election victory, Tuberville said, but the call was cut short.
“Well, I don’t know if you’ve ever talked to President Trump. You don’t get many words in, but 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.
Surveillance footage shows that Pence was removed from the Senate at 2:14 p.m. Ten minutes later, a tweet from Trump’s now-banned account appeared to suggest—falsely—that Pence could have overturned the election result in his role as presiding officer of the Senate.
“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution,” a 2:24 p.m. tweet read.
Tuberville’s remarks came at the end of the second day of Trump’s trial over charges he “incited an insurrection” at the Capitol. It is the first allegation that Trump was aware Pence was in danger before he sent the tweet, as noted by the HuffPost.
Trump supporters gathered on Capitol Hill on January 6 to protest Biden’s victory. A makeshift gallows, complete with a noose, was seen among the crowd. During the rioting inside the Capitol building, a mob could be heard chanting “hang Mike Pence” in the corridors.
During the second day of Trump’s Senate trial, House impeachment manager Stacey Plaskett said: “The mob was looking for Vice President Pence because of his patriotism, because the vice president refused to do what the president demanded and overturn the election results. They were talking about assassinating the Vice President of the United States.”
Earlier in proceedings, Rep. Ted Lieu told senators that Trump was “desperate to cling to power” and that “when he ran out of non-violent measures, he turned to the violent mob.”
He said: “Even after the Capitol was attacked; even after he was personally targeted; even after his family was targeted; Vice President Pence stood strong and certified the election. Vice President Pence showed us what it means to be an American.”
Trump’s representatives have been contacted for comment.