Mike Pence Just Said He Would ‘Consider’ Testifying For The Jan. 6 Committee—Donald Trump Must Be Furious

The walls appear to be closing in on twice-impeached former President Donald Trump even more. Last week, former Vice President Mike Pence said he would give “due consideration” to any formal invitation to testify before the House select committee that is currently investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. The politician, 63, also hinted at potential executive privilege issues, CNN reports.

During a Q&A event after a speech at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics’ “Politics & Eggs” breakfast, Pence said, “If there was an invitation to participate, I would consider it,”after dubbing January 6 a tragic day for all Americans. “But, you heard me mention the Constitution a few times this morning. Under the Constitution, we have three co-equal branches of government, and any invitation to be directed to me, I would have to reflect on the unique role I was serving in as vice president.”

He went on, “It would be unprecedented in history for a vice president to be summoned to testify on Capitol Hill. But, as I said, I don’t want to pre-judge, so if there’s ever any formal invitation rendered to us, we would give it due consideration.”

Although Pence deemed it “unprecedented” for a VP to ever be asked to testify on Capitol Hill, presidents and VPs have notably testified before Congress in the past, CNN writes, including President Gerald Ford, who testified voluntarily in front of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice in 1974. This was done to explain why he pardoned his predecessor, Richard Nixon.

Back in June, the select committee detailed and revealed at a public hearing the ways that Trump, 76, attempted to pressure Pence, his vice president, to join his plans to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Another notable takeaway from the hearing was how Pence’s refusal even put his life in danger as violent rioters and insurrectionists went as far as calling for his hanging on January 6, 2021.

The committee also discussed how conservative Trump attorney John Eastman promoted a legal theory that Pence could somehow unilaterally block certification of the election. While this theory was adamantly rejected by Trump’s White House attorneys and Pence’s team, it, of course, was embraced by Trump.