First modification:
The former vice president of the United States, Mike Pence, will have to testify in front of a court for the investigations that are being carried out against his former boss, Donald Trump, regarding the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The order was issued by a judge federal, although it may not be enforced. The investigation is led by the Department of Justice and seeks to clarify whether Trump tried to meddle in the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Legal teams for the former president and vice president of the United States tried to prevent Pence from being forced to appear before a New York grand jury, which is handling the case of the attack on the Capitol.
The ruling says that Pence will not have to answer questions about his actions on January 6, 2021, but will have to testify about any possible illegal acts that Trump may have committed on that day.
The former president’s team responded by saying that the topics on which Pence will be questioned should be limited, while the former vice president’s legal staff said his client was acting as president of the Senate that day, so you are protected and would not be required to appear.
Amid the political tension that was in the air at the time, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building in Washington, while Congress preceded a joint session to ratify Joe Biden’s victory as president.
Earlier this year, Pence had already received a similar order to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington, but his defense filed a legal challenge to have the court’s chief judge, James E. Boasberg, block the subpoena. testify before the special prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Jack Smith.
Smith is in charge of leading the Justice Department’s investigation into Trump’s role during the events of the assault on the Capitol, as well as the case of the classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
It is expected to know more details about the assault on the Capitol
US Attorney General Merrick Garland has said that His investigations are focused on finding out if there were more people involved to try to “interfere in the transfer of power” to Biden.
A spokesman for former President Trump criticized the Justice Department in a statement following the decision. “There is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump,” he said.
As the investigations progress, several former Trump employees have already appeared before the federal grand jury to testify in the case, and further subpoenas are expected.
The announcement came amid growing rumors that Pence would soon announce his aspiration as the Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election. A decision that would put him in direct competition with his former boss, who has announced his intention to reoccupy the White House.
On different occasions, Pence has spoken openly about the events, saying that Trump put his family and everyone else on Capitol Hill in danger that day. He also assured that “history will hold him accountable.”
Other investigations against Trump
Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg listens to testimony about an alleged payment that Trump made to the lawyer of the porn actress, Stormy Daniels, to cover up alleged extramarital sexual relations before the 2016 elections, where he emerged victorious.
Similarly, the Justice Department is investigating Trump’s mishandling of classified documents after he left office in 2021. Last year, the FBI raided the former president’s residence in Florida, where some 100 documents were found that should not leave the White House.
On the other hand, Letitia James, the attorney general of the state of New York, accused Trump of lying to lenders and insurers to overvalue his assets by millions of dollars, for which he could face another trial in the fall of this year.
With AP and local media
