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\nFormer Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday appeared to deny a report that he faced pressure from Donald Trump to push the governor of Arizona for evidence that would back up the then-president\u2019s false claims of election fraud in 2020.
Multiple sources told The in an article published Saturday that Trump, 77, had repeatedly requested Pence \u201ccall [then-Gov. Doug] Ducey\u00a0and prod him\u201d \u2014 and that the VP held several conversations with the Republican governor but declined to follow the instructions to pressure him.
Pence, in an interview on CBS\u2019 \u201cFace the Nation,\u201d confirmed that he \u201cdid check in\u201d with Ducey and other governors whose states were \u201creviewing their election results\u201d at the time, but said, \u201cthere was no pressure involved.\u201d
\u201cI was calling to get an update\u2026 I got updates on that, passed that along, and it was no more, no less than that,\u201d he told moderator Margaret Brennan of the call.
Brennan followed up with Pence about the \u2019s reporting that Trump had pressured him to prod Ducey.
\u201cNo, I don\u2019t remember any pressure,\u201d Pence replied. \u201cLook \u2026 things came to a head at the end, Margaret, I\u2019ve spoken about very openly and the president and I continue to have a strong difference.\u201d
\u201cI\u2019ll always believe that by God\u2019s grace, I did my duty under the Constitution that day in presiding over a joint session of Congress in the aftermath of the mayhem and the rioting,\u201d Pence added, referencing the Jan. 6, 2021 US Capitol riot. \u201cBut in the days of November and December, this was an orderly process.\u201d
Pence famously broke with Trump and refused to decertify the 2020 election results on Jan. 6, 2021, contending that he lacked the constitutional authority to do so as VP.
Trump lost Arizona in a narrow 49.06% to 49.36% vote.
The former president has disputed his electoral defeat and peddled heavily disputed claims that the 2020 election was \u201cstolen\u201d from him or \u201crigged\u201d against him.
In the aftermath of the election, Trump and his allies sought to challenge his defeat. That is now subject to an investigation by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who charged Trump on 37-counts last month for allegedly hoarding a bevy of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort after leaving office.
Pence testified before a federal grand jury aiding Smith\u2019s inquiry earlier this year.
The former vice president declined to state whether the Ducey phone call came up during that testimony.
Trump has also weathered scrutiny from a Fulton County investigation regarding a phone call he made to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, asking to \u201cfind 11,780\u201d votes, the number needed to overturn his loss.
A spokesperson for Ducey argued it is \u201ctime to move on\u201d following to The report.
\u201cGovernor Ducey defended the results of Arizona\u2019s 2020 election, he certified the election, and he made it clear that the certification provided a trigger for credible complaints backed by evidence to be brought forward. None were ever brought forward,\u201d the spokesperson said, per ABC.<\/p>\n