By Steve Neavling
A federal judge ordered former Vice President Mike Pence to testify in front of a grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, the Associated Press reports.
The order from U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg comes after Pence pledged last month that he would challenge a subpoena to testify, arguing that legal protections for lawmakers protect him from testifying because he was acting as president of the Senate during the January 6, 2021, Electoral College count.
Special counsel Jack Smith issued the subpoena.
Under the judge’s order, Pence would have to testify about any potential crimes committed by Trump, but he would not have to answer questions about his actions on Jan. 6
In a statement, a Trump spokesperson claimed the Justice Department is “continuously stepping far outside the standard norms in attempting to destroy the long accepted, long held, constitutionally based standards of attorney-client privilege and executive privilege.”
“There is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump,” the spokesman added.
Pence’s team is considering whether it should appeal.
