Former President Donald J. A federal judge has ordered former Vice President Mike Pence to appear before a grand jury investigating Trump’s efforts. The testimony, according to two people familiar with the matter.
On Monday, Judge James E. The double verdicts given by Bosberg, Mr. The latest setbacks were a bid by Trump’s legal team to allow prosecutors to ask witnesses close to him in separate hearings. Attempts to retain power after his election defeat and handling of classified documents after he left office.
In the weeks leading up to the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by pro-Trump mobs, former President Mr. He repeatedly pressured Pence to block or delay his certification in his ceremonial role of overseeing the Electoral College vote count. failure
Mr. Thoroughly documented by Pence’s aides, Mr. Mr. Trump asked to testify about Trump’s demands. Lawyers are trying to persuade Pence. It is.
This month, Mr. Trump’s attorneys said the court’s predecessor, Judge Bosberg, Beryl A. Howell said some issues are off-limits because of an executive privilege that protects certain communications between the president and Mr. They asked to limit Pence’s testimony. Some members of his administration.
Understand the events of January 6
At the same time, Mr. Pence’s lawyers have asked to limit his testimony, arguing that his role as Senate president means he is protected from legal scrutiny by the executive branch — including the judiciary — under the constitution’s “speech or debate.” ” Clause. That provision is intended to protect the separation of powers.
Mr. insisting on administrative privilege. While Judge Bosberg issued a clear ruling against Trump’s efforts, her ruling on the “speech or debate” clause was more nuanced, according to a person familiar with the matter.
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Based on his role in supervising the certification of the January 6 election at the Capitol, The judge upheld the idea that Pence had some protection under “speech or discussion.” Mr. A person familiar with the matter told the panel of illegal actions by Trump.
Mr. People close to Pence have said for weeks that he expected to testify before a grand jury. Justice Department late last year Mr. The New York Times reported that they were trying to get an interview with Pence.
Mr. A week after Judge Howell ruled that half a dozen former Trump administration officials — including Trump’s final chief of staff, Mark Meadows — could not waive executive privilege, Mr. Judge Bosberg’s ruling on Pence has arrived. Changing the election Mr. He testified before a grand jury investigating Trump’s efforts.
Judge Howell’s ruling on March 17, when he stepped down as Chief Justice, Mr. Paved the way for Meadows’ grand jury testimony; One of his deputies, Don Scavino; Robert C. O’Brien, who served as National Security Adviser; John Radcliffe, former Director of National Intelligence; and Stephen Miller, Mr. One of Trump’s speechwriters and top advisers.
Mr. Trump and some witnesses in the election trial have spent months trying to limit the scope of grand jury testimony, sparking a behind-the-scenes fight that — like all issues involving grand juries — has been sealed in court filings and closed-door hearings.
Mr. Pence was one of the last major witnesses to litigate the limits of his grand jury testimony. Two of his closest aides — Mark Short and Greg Jacob — were ordered to appear before a grand jury last year, Mr. Two top attorneys in Trump’s White House, Pat A. Cipollone and Patrick F. Philbin.
In one of his final acts as Chief Justice, Judge Howell made a similar ruling in the classified documents hearing. Mr. Trump’s lawyer M. Evan Corcoran, Mr. Although he asserted attorney-client privilege on behalf of Trump, he was ordered to testify before the grand jury conducting the investigation.
In making his decision, Judge Howell said special counsel Jack Smith found that the prosecutors overseeing the two grand jury trials had met a threshold known as the felony-fraud exception. It allows lawyers to work around the client-client privilege if they have reason to believe that legal advice or services were used to further a crime.
