During its third day of hearings, the House January 6 Committee focused on how it claimed President Donald Trump put Vice President Mike Pence's life "in danger" during the January 6 Capitol breach, with particular emphasis on behind-the-scenes debates regarding the use of an ambiguous clause of the 12th amendment to halt certification of electors from contested states.

During a conference call with media on June 15 in advance of the hearing, a committee staffer stated, "We will demonstrate that this pressure campaign directly contributed to the attack on the Capitol and put the vice president's life in danger."

In particular, the commission presented information gathered from testimony revealing what transpired behind the scenes in the lead-up to the Capitol breach, arguing that Trump's efforts to exert pressure on Pence had contributed to the escalation of violence at the Capitol and endangered the life of the then-vice president.

Pence and Trump's factions disputed the legitimacy of the electors

The central point raised on the third day of hearings was Trump and his allies' efforts to have Pence halt the certification of electoral votes until allegations of widespread election fraud had been adjudicated.

Trump backers maintained that the language of the 12th amendment gave Pence the legal authority to delay the certification of electoral votes; others within the White House questioned this assertion.

In the end, Pence sided with those who rejected Trump's allegation, a conclusion he outlined in a Federalist Society interview in February.

"This week, I learned that President Trump stated I had the authority to overturn the election. In February, Pence noted that Trump was in error.

"There are members of our party who believe that, as the presiding officer of the joint session of Congress, I have the authority to reject Electoral College votes unilaterally."

"I had no authority to alter the outcome of our election," Pence stated in refutation of the claim. "When we defeat them in 2024, Kamala Harris will have no right to overturn the election."

On the other hand, Trump defended Pence's prerogative to withhold certification to the very end when Pence sided against him.

In the end, the committee presented the matter as legally plain. Still, proponents of the Trump campaign have cited previous contentious elections, notably those in 1876 and 1960, to support their assertion.

Despite the panel's presentation on January 6, the subject is, at best, still legally contentious.

Commission argues that Trump endangered Pence's life

The January 6 commission contended that Trump's assertion regarding electoral certification was the underlying cause of the violence on January 6, 2021, and presented never-before-seen photographs, videos, and testimonies to demonstrate that the allegation put Pence in more danger than previously believed.

The report highlighted a tweet by Trump on January 6, 2021, as a crucial factor in the escalating violence at the Capitol.

In this tweet, written after the outbreak of violence, Trump criticized Pence for refusing to reject the certification of electors from swing states.

Trump wrote: "Mike Pence lacked the fortitude to do what needed to be done to preserve our country and our Constitution by allowing states to certify a true set of facts, as opposed to the fake or inaccurate ones they were previously requested to certify. USA insists on the truth!"

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-California) stated that this tweet sparked an increase in crowd violence.

Secret Service personnel became concerned for Pence's safety once the demonstration escalated, as evidenced by images and recordings from the day. The vice president and his entourage were taken from the Senate chamber to a secure area on the floor above.

Trump, contended Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi), "turned the mob" on Pence for refusing to comply with his request.

Thursday's session, the third of its kind held by the January 6 committee, followed the committee's habit of placing the blame for the Capitol breach entirely on Trump's shoulders, which some have complained is excessively politicized.

For instance, many GOP critics of the panel refer to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) and her staff's repeated refusals to boost the Capitol's defenses with National Guardsmen, despite repeated requests by Capitol Police leaders.

If the Republicans win the House in November, they have stated that these refusals will form the basis of their investigations into January 6.