New research by the "New York Times" shows a relationship between Donald Trump and his Vice President Mike Pence under extreme pressure shortly before the Capitol was stormed.
The newspaper reports that the day before a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Pence's chief of staff reportedly summoned the vice president's senior Secret Service agent to his office.
The message read: President Trump will publicly target Pence, which could pose security risks for the vice president.
It was the only time the chief of staff had raised security concerns during his tenure as Pence's senior adviser, according to the NYT.
The warning at the highest level of government also showed concern about the risk that Trump's likely actions and words on January 6 could lead to violence.
According to "NYT", it is unclear what consequences were drawn from this warning.
Relationship between Pence and Trump shaken
Despite his electoral defeat, Trump had encouraged a large crowd of supporters not to accept the election result in his speech outside of Congress.
The goal was to prevent the Senate and House of Representatives from formally confirming (certifying) Joe Biden's victory and helping Trump continue his presidency.
At noon on January 6, Pence released a memorandum clarifying that he disagreed with the President regarding his authority to interfere with certification.
The memo was not delivered to the White House adviser in advance, the newspaper writes.
At this point, the trust between the two offices had already been shaken.
Mike Pence stayed in an underground charging station for hours after storming the Capitol.
The 2,000 people who attended the storm also chanted "Hang Mike Pence."
The detailed research is to appear in a book in October, writes the newspaper.