A Washington DC federal judge has ordered former US Vice President Mike Pence to testify before a jury regarding conversations he had with former President Donald Trump prior to the January 6, 2021 storming of the US Congress by Trump supporters. The assault was organized with the intention of stopping the process of certifying the presidential election, won by Joe Biden, and there is an ongoing investigation into whether or not Trump had contributed to its planning.
Pence had asked not to appear in front of the jury on the basis of a clause in the Constitution that exempts members of Congress from testifying on legislative acts (the vice president is in fact also the president of the Senate). However, Judge James E. Boasberg held that this clause did not apply in this case, given that Pence’s testimony could reveal possible illegal actions committed by Trump.
The investigators’ hypothesis is that in the weeks preceding the attack on Congress, Trump had repeatedly asked Pence to use his role as president of the Senate – which presided over the joint session of Congress on January 6 to certify the results of the elections – to block or delay certifying his defeat.
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