Former Vice President Mike Pence has been ordered to testify before a grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump‘s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, according to a federal district court in Washington.
Mike Pence Ordered to Testify in Trump Investigation
The ruling from Judge James Boasberg, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia requires Mike Pence must appear before a grand jury to provide testimony regarding his conversations with Donald Trump before January 6, 2021, NBC News reported.
Mike Pence is expected to testify about any conversations he had with Trump involving wrongdoing as the then-president sought to overturn his electoral defeat before January 6. The court has reportedly ordered Mike Pence to testify if Trump’s words involved any illegal acts on his part. The evidence of these conversations is likely to convey a criminal state of mind, which is often the most challenging element to prove in white-collar crimes.
The order is another judicial setback for Trump, even though Mike Pence could claim a narrow victory about the questions he can avoid answering. The judge made a ruling in a recent case that is not yet public. The ruling states that Mike Pence is still allowed to refuse to answer questions about his role in the events that happened on January 6th. This is because, at the time, he was presiding over the Senate for the certification of the 2020 presidential election, CNN reported.
Special Counsel Jack Smith Investigates Fraudulent Electors, Not Mike Pence Certification Role
The ruling doesn’t really matter for Trump because he is the one being investigated by Special Counsel Jack Smith. While Mike Pence has been excused from answering questions about his January 6 role as the officer presiding over Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election, the events involving Pence in that role are not Smith’s priority. Smith has a mountain of evidence about the fraudulent scheme to deliver a slate of fake electors from Wisconsin that day, which is not in Pence’s crosshairs.
The ruling reaffirms that federal courts continue to be committed to the rule of law and to speed in dealing with the criminal investigations of Trump. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit moved faster in affirming the March 17 district court order that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows testify.
In Mike Pence’s case, the district court appears to have taken only five days from hearing the argument to the ruling, more evidence of a special counsel, and of courts in a hurry. The special counsel’s investigation is moving quickly and efficiently, which suggests that Donald Trump could be charged with a crime sooner rather than later.
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