For two years, from the impeachment of Donald Trump to the committee’s investigation into January 6, he had remained silent, refusing to answer questions from elected officials. But on Thursday, former Vice President Mike Pence testified in court as part of the investigation into Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election, multiple media reported.
The citizens’ panel responsible for hearing the Republican tenor met at 9:00 a.m. Thursday in Washington, CNN said in particular, citing people familiar with the matter. In late March, a judge ordered Mike Pence to testify about conversations he had with Donald Trump before his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The former president tried to block that testimony, but it was dismissed on appeal on Wednesday.
Investigation by Special Prosecutor Jack Smith
Investigators, led by Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, are examining Donald Trump’s role in the violence that erupted that day, as part of what would have been a broader attempt to stay in power after losing the presidential against Joe Biden. Pence was thus ordered to answer any questions from a federal grand jury about potential crimes committed by the former president, and he had indicated in the media that he would tell “the truth”.
The former vice president said in March that history would hold Donald Trump “responsible” for his role in the assault on the Capitol. “I had no right to annul (the result of) the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone in the Capitol that day,” he said.
Donald Trump is at the center of several other investigations. At the end of March, he became the first president in the history of the United States to be indicted, in the case of buying the silence of an actress of X movies in 2016. A Georgia state prosecutor is also investigating since 2021 on “attempts to influence the electoral operations” of this southern state, won by a short head by Joe Biden in 2020.
Special Prosecutor Jack Smith is also investigating the case of the White House archives, Donald Trump being accused of having taken away entire boxes of documents at the end of his presidency.
2024 in sight
To make a complex situation even more explosive, Donald Trump is seeking a new mandate in 2024 and Mike Pence could be among those who will challenge him for the Republican nomination.
In absolute terms, neither an indictment nor even a possible conviction could prevent Donald Trump from running, but the former president could find himself weakened in the Republican primary. According to NBC News, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis could embark on a fratricidal primary in mid-May.