US President Donald Trump listens to questions from Vice President Mike Pence during the daily briefing of the Coronavirus Task Force in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 27, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee | Getty Images News | Getty Images
A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected Donald Trump’s attempt to block former Vice President Mike Pence from testifying before a federal grand jury over the former president’s role in the Jan. 6 riots and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. is investigating.
The US Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington this month refused to block Pence’s subpoena after Trump filed an appeal to block a lower court ruling ordering Pence to testify. Days before Trump appeared in court, a Pence adviser said the former vice president would not appeal against the order to testify.
Trump may still appeal to the Supreme Court but has not indicated whether he will. A spokeswoman for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.
Pence’s summons was issued by special counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into Trump’s role in the January 6 and alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left office. was done.
Pence initially vowed to fight his subpoena, arguing that the “speech or debate” clause of the Constitution granted him immunity from testifying. A federal judge disagreed and granted an order requiring Pence to testify.
Smith’s other subpoenas are directed to top county elections officials in key swing states for any and all communications related to Trump’s campaign and to 19 associates and associates who allegedly played a role in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Had played
In March, a federal judge ruled that Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows and other aides, including Dan Scavino and Stephen Miller, must testify.