Topping their agenda is clarifying the roles of Congress and the Vice President in certifying an election, which went haywire on January 6, 2021, as protesters of former president Donald Trump’s defeat by President Joe Biden stormed the Capitol, some chanting, “Hang, Mike Pence!” Collins said, “We need to make very clear that the vice president’s role is just ministerial, that he has no power, she has no power, to overturn the votes that are submitted by the states.” Collins was among the legislators who hid in a secure location in the Capitol until police restored order, and the Electoral College certification resumed. Collins said, “The ambiguities in this law gave rise to pressure on the vice president. Fortunately, Vice President Pence followed the 12th Amendment and realized what his role was, and he refused to be pressured to halt or overturn the count. But what if we had a vice president who wasn’t as ethical and bound by his constitutional duty?”
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