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A federal grand jury investigated the actions of former President Donald Trump following the 2020 election. It is the first time a vice president has had to testify about a president. This marks a significant development in the criminal investigation.
It was anticipated that during his testimony, Pence would give sworn statements about his direct communications with Trump before January 6, 2021. A federal judge previously ruled Pence could be compelled to recount conversations with Trump where he may have been acting corruptly.
Pence’s testimony comes as he considers a challenge to Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, with his testimony likely to elicit a negative challenge from his former boss. Although Pence frequently speaks about refusing to do Trump’s bidding on January 6 and following the Constitution instead, he avoided talking under oath as part of any investigation.
The grand jury, whose proceedings are secret, assembled just before 9 a.m. ET on Thursday. The case has put Pence in a unique position to define the powers of his former office, and the court has given him the ability to keep out of criminal proceedings his actions. He served as the Senate presiding officer on January 6. However, much of what the special counsel’s team is interested in would be attainable by the grand jury.
Investigators have been particularly interested in Trump’s conversations with Pence in the days leading up to the US Capitol riot. Pence and Trump did not speak during the attack on the Capitol, and Pence narrowly escaped the mob heading to the Senate floor. Much of what is known about Trump’s communications with Pence leading up to the insurrection has come from a memoir Pence published last year and from people who testified in the House probe into the attack.
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Source: Omanghana.com
