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U.S. NEWS Monday 7 august 2023

Pence, Trump attorney clash over what Trump told his VP ahead of

Jan. 6, 2021

By David Klepper in New York and improperly failed to convince state of-
Associated Press kept classified documents ficials to illegally swing the
WASHINGTON (AP) — Don- at his Palm Beach, Florida, election, Trump and his al-
ald Trump’s defense at- resort and obstructed an lies recruited fake electors
torney says the former investigation into their han- in swing states to sign certif-
president never asked Mike dling. icates falsely stating Trump
Pence to overturn the will Speaking on ABC’s “This had prevailed.
of the voters in the 2020 Week with George Steph- “He knew well that he had
election, but only wanted anopoulos,” Lauro said lost the election,” Trump’s
the former vice president Pence’s testimony will show former Attorney General Bill
to “pause” the certifica- Trump believed the elec- Barr said in an interview last
tion of votes to allow states tion was rigged and that week.
to investigate his claims of he was listening to the ad- Lauro said Trump’s defense
election fraud. Those base- vice of his attorneys when team will seek to move the
less claims had already he sought to delay the cer- case from Washington be-
been rejected by numer- tification. Pence, who ap- cause it wants a more di-
ous courts. peared before the grand verse jury. He said he would
Speaking on several Sun- jury that indicted Trump, support televising the trial,
day morning news shows, said he will comply with the and dismissed speculation
Trump attorney John Lau- Vice President Mike Pence speaks alongside President Donald law if asked to testify. that it could wrap up be-
ro said Trump was within Trump during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White “I cannot wait until I have fore the 2024 election.
his First Amendment rights House in Washington on March 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick the opportunity to cross ex- “In 40 years of practic-
Semansky, File)
when he petitioned Pence amine Mr. Pence,” Lauro ing law, on a case of this
to delay the certification ject or return votes and that his allies, in what special said. “He will completely magnitude, I’ve not known
on Jan. 6, 2021. on Jan. 5, Trump’s attorneys counsel Jack Smith de- eliminate any doubt that a single case to go to trial
“The ultimate ask of Vice told him “‘We want you to scribed as an attack on a President Trump firmly be- before two to three years,”
President Pence was to reject votes outright.” “bedrock function of the lieved that the election ir- Lauro said on CBS’ “Face
pause the counts and al- Pence’s role in certifying U.S. government,” repeat- regularities had led to an the Nation.” Responding to
low the states to weigh in,” Joe Biden’s win over Trump edly lied about the results in inappropriate result.” questions about whether
Lauro said on CBS’ “Face in the 2020 election makes the two months after he lost The 45-page indictment Trump can get a fair trial
the Nation.” He added him a central figure in the the election and pressured details how people close to in the nation’s capitol, for-
that Trump was convinced prosecution against Trump Pence and state election Trump repeatedly told him mer New Jersey Gov. Chris
there were irregularities in on charges that he sought officials to take action to he had lost and that there Christie, a former federal
the election that needed to overturn the will of the help him cling to power. was no truth to his claims prosecutor, said he can.
to be investigated by state voters and remain in office Those efforts culminated of fraud. In one encounter “Yes, I believe jurors can be
authorities before the elec- even after the courts had on Jan. 6, 2021, when days before the riot, Trump fair. I believe in the Ameri-
tion could be certified. roundly rejected his claims Trump supporters violently told Pence he was “too can people,” Christie said
Pence, who like Trump is of electoral fraud. Federal stormed the Capitol in an honest” after the vice presi- Sunday on CNN.
seeking the Republican and state election officials effort to stop the certifica- dent said he didn’t have A slew of people charged
nomination for president and Trump’s own attor- tion. the authority to reject elec- in the Jan. 6 riot have tried
in 2024, flatly rejected that ney general also had said Trump pleaded not guilty to toral votes, the indictment to get their trials moved out
account during an inter- there were was no credible those charges. Separately, says. of Washington. Yet judges
view Sunday, saying Trump evidence the election was he also faces charges that Former allies of Trump have have rejected those mo-
seemed “convinced” as tainted. he falsified business records said Trump knew he lost but tions in every case, saying
early as December that Last week’s indictment relating to hush money spread false claims about fair jurors can be found with
Pence had the right to re- chronicles how Trump and payments to a porn actor fraud anyway. After he proper questioning.q

Man whose body was found in a barrel in Malibu had been shot in

the head, coroner says

Associated Press a gunshot wound to the The Sheriff’s Department
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — A head, the Los Angeles said the barrel was opened
man whose naked body Times reported Saturday. July 31 by a lifeguard
was found inside a barrel The circumstances that at Malibu Lagoon State
in Malibu, California, last led to Murphy being shot Beach, who had retrieved
week was shot in the head, and sealed inside a barrel it after it washed back into
a coroner has determined. remain under investigation the lagoon.
The man was identified by the Los Angeles County It was not known how long
Wednesday by the Los sheriff’s office. the body had been in the
Angeles County coroner’s The 55-gallon (208-liter) drum.
office as 32-year-old Ja- black plastic barrel was first Patrick Nelson, a family
vonnta Marshann Murphy spotted July 30 floating in a friend, told the Los Ange-
but no cause of death was Malibu lagoon and brought les Times that Murphy had
given at the time. The coro- in with a kayak by a main- This image taken from video and provided by KABC-7 TV shows grown up in South Los An-
ner’s case information now tenance worker, but it was law enforcement officers stand by a barrel at Malibu Lagoon on geles with four brothers and
lists the cause of death as not immediately opened. July 31, 2023. (KABC-7 via AP, File) was an aspiring rapper.q