Pence has publicly addressed his interactions with Trump after election day and up to and including January 6, not least in a book, So Help Me God, seemingly meant to prepare the ground for a presidential run.Īs he tries to balance his own ambitions with Trump’s dominance among Republican voters, Pence has sought to distance himself from his former president. More than a thousand people have been arrested and hundreds convicted, some of seditious conspiracy. Nine deaths have been linked to the attack, including law enforcement suicides. As rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence” and erected a makeshift gallows, Pence was sent running for safety. Pence, who is expected to announce his own run for the presidency, was almost a victim of the mob Trump sent to the Capitol on 6 January 2021, seeking to block certification of Biden’s win. Trump denies all wrongdoing and claims to be the victim of political witch-hunts. Trump also faces a Georgia state election subversion investigation, the federal investigation of his retention of classified documents and civil suits in New York over his business practices and a defamation case arising from an allegation of rape. The former president was indicted in New York this week on charges related to a hush money payment to a porn star who claims an affair. The justice department investigation, under the special counsel Jack Smith, is just one form of legal jeopardy faced by Trump, even as he continues to enjoy big leads in polls regarding the Republican presidential nomination. Lawyers for Trump could still appeal the executive privilege ruling. On Wednesday, Pence’s spokesperson, Devin O’Malley, said: “Having vindicated that principle of the constitution, vice-president Pence will not appeal the judge’s ruling and will comply with the subpoena as required by law.” Lawyers for Pence argued that because he served that day as president of the Senate, overseeing the certification of electoral college results, he was protected from being forced to testify under the “speech or debate” clause of the US constitution, which protects members of Congress from questioning about official legislative acts. Boasberg did accept arguments by Pence’s lawyers that for constitutional reasons he could not be questioned about his actions on January 6. Lawyers for Trump objected to the subpoena on grounds of executive privilege, an argument rejected by James Boasberg, a federal district court judge in Washington. ![]() His closed-door testimony could offer a first-hand account of Trump’s state of mind in the weeks after he lost to Joe Biden and further expose a rift in Trump’s relationship with his former vice-president. Pence would be the highest-profile witness to appear before a grand jury. Other Trump administration officials have testified in the investigation, as well as in an investigation of Trump’s retention of classified documents. A spokesperson for Pence announced the decision on Wednesday, clearing the way for Pence to appear before a grand jury in Washington.
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