Former US vice-president Mike Pence has directly rebutted Donald Trump's false claims that Mr Pence could have overturned the results of the 2020 election, saying that the former president was simply "wrong".

In a speech to a gathering of the conservative Federalist Society in Florida, Mr Pence addressed Mr Trump's intensifying efforts this week to advance the false narrative that, as vice-president, [Mr Pence] had the unilateral power to prevent Joe Biden from taking office.

"President Trump is wrong," he said.

While Mr Pence has previously defended his actions on January 6 and said he and Mr Trump would likely never see "eye to eye" on what happened that day. 

His remarks on Friday marked his most forceful rebuttal of Mr Trump to date.

They came as Mr Pence was laying the groundwork for a potential run for president in 2024, which could put him in direct competition with his former boss, who has also been teasing a comeback run.

Mr Trump issued a statement later on Friday disagreeing with Mr Pence.

"I was right and everyone knows it. If there is fraud or large scale irregularities, it would have been appropriate to send those votes back to the legislatures to figure it out," the former president said.

Mr Trump this earlier week escalated his attacks against Mr Pence.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Trump said the committee investigating the deadly January 6 attack on the Capitol should instead probe "why Mike Pence did not send back the votes for recertification or approval".

And, on Sunday, he blasted Mr Pence, falsely declaring that "he could have overturned the election!"

Vice-presidents play only a ceremonial role in the the counting of Electoral College votes, and any attempt to interfere in the count would have represented an extraordinary violation of the law and an assault on the democratic process.

'A dark day' in US history

Mr Pence — in his remarks on Friday to a group of lawyers in Lake Buena Vista — described January 6, 2021, as "a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol" and framed his actions that day as in line with his duty as a constitutional conservative.

"The American people must know that we will always keep our oath to the Constitution, even when it would be politically expedient to do otherwise," he told the group.

He noted that, under Article II Section One of the Constitution, "Elections are conducted at the state level, not by the Congress" and that "the only role of Congress with respect to the Electoral College is to open and count votes submitted and certified by the states. No more, no less".

He went on to call out those who have insisted that is not the case.

"Frankly there is no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president," he added.

"Under the Constitution, I had no right to change the outcome of our election. And Kamala Harris will have no right to overturn the election when we beat them in 2024."

The audience applauded Mr Pence's line about beating the Democrats in the upcoming presidential election, but remained silent when Mr Pence said earlier that "Trump is wrong".

The former vice-president was inside the Capitol on January 6, presiding over the joint session of Congress to certify the presidential election, when a mob of Trump's supporters violently smashed inside, assaulting police officers and hunting down lawmakers.

Mr Pence — who released a letter moments before the session got underway that made clear he had no authority to overturn the will of the voters — was rushed to safety as some rioters chanted: "Hang Mike Pence!"

In his remarks on Friday, Mr Pence acknowledged the lingering anger among many in Mr Trump's base, even as he said it was time "to focus on the future".

"The truth is, there's more at stake than our party or political fortunes," he said.

Trump slams January 6 committee

Trump aides did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Mr Pence's speech.

And, while Mr Trump released a statement shortly after that slammed the January 6 committee, it notably made no mention of Mr Pence.

Mr Trump's escalating rhetoric comes as he has been under growing scrutiny from the committee, which has now interviewed hundreds of witnesses, issued dozens of subpoenas and obtained reams of government documents that Mr Trump tried to keep hidden.

It also comes as a bipartisan group of lawmakers has been pushing to update the Electoral Count Act to eliminate any ambiguity about the vice-president's role.

Mr Pence has so far tried to thread a needle when it comes to his actions on January 6, which continue to enrage large portions of Mr Trump's base, posing a potential complication if he runs for president in 2024.

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In recent months, he has generally refrained from voluntarily raising the events of that day but has defended his actions when pressed, saying he was abiding by his constitutional role.

Last year, he said in a speech that he would "always be proud that we did our part on that tragic day to reconvene the Congress and fulfilled our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States".

He has also accused Democrats and the media of continuing to focus on the insurrection to score political points against Republicans and divert attention from Mr Biden's agenda.

While a basic declaration of fact, Mr Pence's decision to describe Mr Trump as "wrong" was especially significant, given Mr Pence's posture in the White House.

As Mr Trump's vice-president, Mr Pence was exceptionally deferential to him, never publicly voicing disagreement and defending even his most controversial actions.

The January 6 committee plans to call Mr Pence to testify as part of their investigation. It is so far unclear what Mr Pence will do.

AP