Former Vice President Pence, in a significant speech at the Reagan Library in California last evening, declared that the Constitution "affords the vice president no authority to reject or return electoral votes submitted to the Congress by the states."

Driving the news: "I understand the disappointment many feel about the last election," Pence said. "I can even relate. Remember, I lost reelection too. But there's more at stake than our party or our political fortunes."

• "Truth is, there is almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president."

Why it matters: This is Pence directly addressing — even leaning into — what he did on Jan. 6 in the context of a speech about the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement.

• Pence is attaching his actions on Jan. 6 to his vision of the future of the party — drawing a clear line between his vision and former President Trump's.

"If we lose faith in the Constitution, we won’t just lose elections — we’ll lose our country," Pence said at the library's "A Time for Choosing" series.

• "Now more than ever, America needs the Republican Party to be the party of the Constitution."

Watch via C-SPAN.