Former Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday testified to a federal grand jury investigating then-President Donald Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol as well as the actions of his allies in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
The testimony marks the first time in modern history a vice president has been compelled to testify against the president he served beside.
According to CNN, Pence was poised to recount for the first time under oath his direct conversations with Trump leading up to the insurrection.
Trump repeatedly pressured Pence to block the 2020 election’s result, including on a private phone call on the morning of January 6. Pence refused to abide and the Senate certified Joe Biden’s victory later that day.
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Trump went to court to try to prevent Pence’s testimony, claiming immunity and executive privilege. But trial and appellate judges ordered Pence to testify about his direct conversations with the then-President. The ruling was in line with several other losses courts dealt to Trump as he’s tried to block top officials from his administration from testifying.
Special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation around Trump’s efforts to block the election result has long sought to question Pence under oath given his proximity to Trump at the White House.
Pence’s meeting with investigators comes as he is exploring a possible challenge to Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, with his testimony likely to elicit a strong negative reaction from Trump.
