Former VP Mike Pence Won’t Appeal Judge’s Order To Testify in Trump’s January 6 Trial

Former Vice President Mike Pence will not appeal a judge’s order mandating that he testify in Trump’s 2020 election interference trial. This comes after a federal judge for the D.C. district court had dismissed Donald Trump’s argument of executive privilege to bar Pence from appearing before the grand jury.

“Vice President Pence will not appeal the Judge’s ruling and will comply with the subpoena as required by law,” his spokesperson, Devin O’Malley, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Back in March, Pence explained, “We’re going to respect the decisions of the court, and that may take us all the way to the highest court in the land.”

ABC News reported:

Pence was subpoenaed in February by special counsel Jack Smith to provide documents and testimony related to Smith’s election interference probe, following months of negotiations between federal prosecutors and Pence’s legal team, sources said.

In addition to claims of executive privilege, Pence’s attorneys had argued that Pence should be exempt from providing records or answering certain questions that align with his duties as president of the Senate overseeing the formal certification of the election on Jan. 6, 2021.

Pence’s team had argued that such communications could run afoul of the Speech and Debate Clause that shields officials in Congress from legal proceedings specifically related to their work.

Executive privilege is the principle that allows the President or other high-ranking officials in the executive branch to withhold certain information from the legislative and judicial branches to maintain confidentiality and protect the functioning of the government.