Former Vice President Mike Pence has been called to testify about the documents found at former President Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
The former vice president is now directly involved in the investigation. The inclusion of Pence is the highest-profile individual yet called on for testimony.
The subpoena came from special counsel Jack Smith in his investigation over the handlings of documents by former President Trump.
Smith, a former corruption prosecutor, was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to weigh whether or not the classified document investigation merits potential charges.
New information is limited as the special counsel’s office has not released a formal statement. ABC News said that the office of the former vice president has not commented yet.
By requiring Mike Pence to testify regarding Trump’s role in the lead-up to the January 6 riot, prosecutors might be signaling their readiness to set a perilous precedent. | @AndrewCMcCarthy https://t.co/SRAghakUHZ
— National Review (@NRO) February 10, 2023
Other news updates are reporting that the subpoena will discuss not only the documents but also President Trump’s reaction to the 2020 election results.
Vice President Pence played a major role in the period between the November 2020 elections and the inauguration of President Joe Biden on Jan. 20, 2021. The vice president affirmed the electoral vote brought before Congress, which former President Trump sharply disagreed with.
The vice president is also called to testify at a crossroads in his political career. The former Indiana governor is weighing his own 2024 presidential campaign.
This would pit the former vice president against his old boss in the Republican primary, which would be a unique circumstance in recent American politics.
The special prosecutor’s office has not announced more information about the direction of the probe. Speculation over potential charges has not been supported by public evidence yet. It is also unclear what exact questions the vice president was called to testify about or whether or not he will invoke executive privilege.
