Jack Smith was not going to take no for an answer. The special counsel recently subpoenaed former Vice President Mike Pence to testify in the investigation into the Jan. 6 attack and Donald Trump’s campaign to stay in power despite his defeat, and while the Indiana Republican balked, Smith and his team pressed on, insisting that Pence’s insights were absolutely necessary.
As NBC News reported, a federal judge was persuaded by the prosecutor.
A federal judge has ordered former Vice President Mike Pence to comply with a subpoena in the investigation into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to a source familiar with the decision. The ruling from Judge James Boasberg, the chief judge of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, requires Pence to testify before the grand jury tied to the probe led by special counsel Jack Smith.
It wasn’t a total loss for Pence and his lawyers: Boasberg, who was first appointed to the bench by George W. Bush, said the “speech or debate” clause of the Constitution means there are some questions the former vice president won’t have to answer, but testifying about his conversations with Trump are fair game.
Part of what makes this news notable is that Pence, if this week’s order survives the appeals process, is a uniquely important witness. As we discussed last month, the Indiana Republican was not only hunted by Trump’s radicalized followers during the insurrectionist attack on the Capitol, but Pence was also pressured by the former president to participate in an illegal scheme to overturn the 2020 election results.
For those investigating possible crimes surrounding the Big Lie and the insurrectionist riot, few people, if anyone, have more relevant insights than Pence. If he answers investigators’ questions and tells the truth, his sworn testimony would likely be critical to the broader case.
But also notable is how the former vice president tried to get out of…
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