About a month ago, shortly before Christmas, Donald Trump sat down with conservative media host Hugh Hewitt, and as part of the interview, Hewitt asked a question that most presidential candidates — at least in the United States — have never been asked to consider.
“If you are re-elected, will you peacefully surrender power at the end of your second term as required by the Constitution?” the host asked, effectively inquiring as to whether Trump intended to ignore the 25th Amendment and seek a third term.
“Of course,” the former president replied, quickly adding, “And I did that this time.” As part of the same answer, the Republican repeated his usual lies about the 2020 race being “rigged,” before again saying that he peacefully surrendered power following his defeat.
The rhetoric was plainly false. Trump rejected the idea of a peaceful transition of power, choosing instead to summon a mob of radicals, whom he deployed to violently attack his own country’s Capitol as part of a bid to claim illegitimate power.
But as it turns out, the GOP’s presumptive 2024 nominee isn’t the only one who has a flawed memory when it comes to the events of January 2021. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returned to Capitol Hill yesterday and testified before the House Select Committee on China. As part of the proceedings, Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts tried to get the Kansas Republican to say that President Joe Biden was elected fair and square in 2020.
Pompeo refused to answer directly, eventually saying he wished Hillary Clinton “would be so clear about her election as well.” (To the extent that reality still has any meaning, Clinton conceded defeat, called Trump on the night of the election to congratulate him, and attended his inauguration.)
But as Politico noted, that’s not all Pompeo said.
Chair Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) intervened after a back-and-forth between Pompeo and Auchincloss to give Pompeo time to answer his question. “We did have a peaceful transition of power from the Trump administration to the Biden administration and I was present for that and I saw my State Department working diligently to deliver the information that Secretary [Antony] Blinken desperately needed to get started on the right foot and I have been proud to work alongside Secretary Blinken,” Pompeo said.
Auchincloss, understandably incredulous, said, “Let’s see a show of hands: Who here thinks it was peaceful on Jan. 6, 2021?” . @committeeonccp should not take a lecture on democracy from an election denier. Under oath in my questioning, former Secretary Mike Pompeo refused to assert that the 2020 election was "free and fair". As the Republican Party rewrites the history of what transpired after Trump’s defeat, Americans are apparently supposed to believe there was, as Pompeo claimed, “a peaceful transition of power.” Those who were conscious three years ago ought to know better.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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