Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said he personally told former President Donald Trump on Jan. 6 that then-Vice President Mike Pence was evacuated from the Senate chamber as rioters closed in.
"I said 'Mr. President, they just took the vice president out, I've got to go,'" Tuberville told Politico on Wednesday night. Tuberville said he had to cut Trump's phone call short due to the chaos.
Politico noted it is the first time Tuberville had shared details of the call with Trump. The website pointed out it could be a potentially significant development for House managers arguing for Trump’s impeachment conviction.
Tuberville’s comments to Trump that Pence was in danger came around the time that Trump had sent a tweet attacking the then-vice president for not having “the courage” to unilaterally stop Joe Biden’s victory.
Politico said Trump has never said he was aware of Pence’s plight, even hours after Tuberville said he told him.
Pence's role, as president of the Senate, was to preside over Congress as the chambers received and certified electoral votes and announced the outcome. According to the 12th Amendment, "the president of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted."