Pence Appears Before Grand Jury on Trump’s Efforts to Retain Power
Former Vice President Mike Pence appeared on Thursday before the grand jury hearing evidence about former President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election, a person briefed on the matter said.
Mr. Pence’s appearance behind closed doors at the Federal District Court in Washington came after he was subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury earlier this year. Mr. Pence is considered a key witness, given the pressure campaign that Mr. Trump engaged in to try to convince him to play a critical role in blocking or delaying congressional certification of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory.
Mr. Pence, now a potential rival to Mr. Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, rebuffed Mr. Trump’s demands in January 2021 that he use his ceremonial role overseeing the certification of the Electoral College results to derail the final step in affirming Mr. Biden’s victory.
Mr. Pence’s advisers had discussions with Justice Department officials last year about providing testimony in their criminal investigation into whether Mr. Trump and a number of his allies broke federal law in trying to keep Mr. Trump in power. But the talks broke down, leading prosecutors to seek a subpoena for Mr. Pence’s testimony.
Source: The New York Times
