In an important development, a federal judge ruled that former US Vice President Mike Pence must testify before a grand jury as part of an ongoing investigation into former President Donald Trump’s alleged attempts to influence the 2020 presidential election and incite the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
While the decision was still confidential at the time of reporting, multiple news outlets have since reported on it. The investigation centers around conversations between Pence and Trump leading up to the events of January 6th, as well as Trump’s attempts to overturn the election results.
Trump and Pence have both attempted to prevent the vice president from testifying, with lawyers for Trump citing “executive privilege” to argue that conversations between a president and their staff are protected.
Pence’s lawyers, on the other hand, have argued that his role as president of the Senate on January 6th, 2021, afforded him protection under the separation of powers.
However, on Tuesday, federal district court judge James E. Boasberg rejected both of these arguments. While Pence is not expected to answer questions about his actions on January 6th, when he was evacuated from the Capitol as rioters chanted threats against him and built a makeshift gallows outside, he may still be required to provide testimony regarding his conversations with Trump leading up to the attack.
Reports indicate that Pence is considering an appeal of the ruling, with CBS reporter Robert Costa stating that the former vice president has said he may take the case to the Supreme Court.
However, legal experts have called Pence’s defense “meritless” and argued that he should focus on upholding the law rather than proving his loyalty to Trump.
The ruling sets up an unusual scenario in which a former vice president could potentially testify against his former boss in a criminal investigation.
Trump is facing multiple legal challenges, including investigations into his attempts to change the election outcome, charges related to hush money paid to an adult film actor, and civil cases related to his business dealings and allegations of rape.
Despite these challenges, Trump maintains that he did nothing wrong and continues to be a leading contender in polls for the Republican nomination for president.
