Mike Pence must testify before grand jury in Donald Trump probe, judge rules

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Mike Pence must testify before a grand jury about conversations he had with Donald Trump related to the former presidents’ attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Judge James Boasberg in the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Pence, Trump’s former vice-president, must comply with a subpoena in the US Department of Justice’s investigation into whether Trump has committed any federal crimes. after the 2020 election, including January 6 2021, when mobs of his supporters attacked the US Capitol and delayed the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

However, Pence does not have to answer specific questions pertaining to his actions on Jan. 6 itself, when the then-vice president was acting as president of the US Senate and overseeing the electoral college certification process, said the person familiar with the matter on Tuesday.

The person requested anonymity because the decision remains under seal. The judges’ decision was first reported by NBC News.

The ruling is a major win for Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed in November by US attorney-general Merrick Garland to oversee DoJ investigations involving Trump.

Smith is also overseeing the investigation into former presidents’ handling of government documents found by federal agents during a search of his Mar-a-Lago residence in August of last year.

Pence challenged the subpoena, according to media reports, arguing that he should be granted immunity from testifying under the constitution’s speech or debate clause, which could shield lawmakers from having to address legislative matters. .

Let me be clear, I will fight the Biden DoJ subpoena to appear before the grand jury because I think it is unconstitutional and unconstitutional, Pence told reporters earlier this year.

An attorney for Pence did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The DoJ declined to comment.

In response to the decision, a Trump spokeswoman said the justice department continues to depart from common standards in an attempt to undermine long-held constitutionally-based standards of attorney-client privilege and executive privilege, adding that There is no factual or legal basis or substance in any case against the former president.

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Despite mounting legal troubles, Trump also faces a criminal investigation in Manhattan related to alleged hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, and an investigation in Fulton County, Georgia, with In relation to the 2020 election, the former president remains a leading Republican. presidential nominee of the parties in 2024.

Trump launched his third bid for the White House days after last November’s midterm elections. So far only Nikki Haley, the former US ambassador to the UN, and Vivek Ramaswamy, an anti-ESG investor, have formally entered the race to challenge him.

Pence, who was governor of Indiana and a longtime member of Congress before serving as Trumps vice president, is widely expected to enter the race later this year. Pence is scheduled to make three public appearances in Iowa, a key early voting state, on Wednesday. Most public opinion polls put Pence in third place, behind Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis, among likely Republican primary voters.

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