WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday testified before a federal grand jury investigating the actions of then-President Donald Trump and his moves that preceded the Jan. 6 disturbance at the U.S. Capitol, according to several media outlets.
The New York Times, CNN, and The Associated Press, each citing anonymous sources, said that Pence appeared behind closed doors at the Federal District Court in Washington.
Pence is considered a key witness by prosecutors since Trump attempted to pressure him into blocking or delaying the certification of Joe Biden’s election as president, the Times reported.
Breaking News: Mike Pence appeared before the grand jury hearing evidence about Donald Trump’s efforts to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election. https://t.co/xsmwkI3oYC
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 27, 2023
Late last month, a federal judge ruled that Pence could testify to the grand jury about conversations he had with Trump. The former president had attempted to block Pence from testifying.
The testimony came several hours after a federal appeals court rejected a filing by Trump’s lawyers to stop Pence from appearing before the grand jury, the AP reported.
The testimony was expected to focus on the discussions Trump and Pence had before the events of Jan. 6, 2021, CNN and the Times reported.
Pence, like Trump, tried to fight the subpoena, according to the newspaper. The former vice president, seen as a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2024, claimed that the subpoena violated the “speech and debate” clause of the Constitution because he was serving as president of the Senate on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump had claimed any discussions he had with Pence were covered by executive privilege, the Times reported.
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