An anonymous source told The Associated Press that Pence had been subpoenaed in the ongoing investigation into Donald Trump.
Former United States Vice President Mike Pence has been subpoenaed by a special prosecutor overseeing investigations into attempts by then-President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.
The subpoena was served on Pence in recent days as part of an investigation by special counsel Jack Smith, according to a person who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.
The extraordinary scenario of the former vice president potentially testifying against his former boss in a criminal investigation comes as Pence considers launching a presidential bid against Trump in 2024. The two have been estranged since a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021 in an attempt to prevent the victory of Democrat Joe Biden.
ABC News first reported the subpoena.
Pence has been at the center of Trump’s bid to stay in office after losing the 2020 election. Trump falsely insisted that Pence, who had a ceremonial role overseeing the certification of the Jan. 6 election, could simply throw out the results and send them “back to the states.” .
That day, Trump supporters — driven by lies that the 2020 election was rigged — marched on the Capitol building, brutally pushed past police and smashed windows and doors as Pence presided over the certification of Biden’s victory.
The vice president was airlifted to safety with his staff and family as some in the crowd chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!”
Attorney General Merrick Garland selected Smith, a former corruption prosecutor, in November to serve as special counsel in investigations into Trump’s attempts to undermine his defeat, his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and his possession of classified documents after leaving the office.
Federal prosecutors were particularly focused on a scheme by Trump allies to elevate fake presidential electors in key battleground states won by Biden as a way to subvert the vote by issuing subpoenas to the chairmen of multiple state Republican parties.
Federal prosecutors have brought several Trump administration officials before a grand jury for questioning, including former Trump White House adviser Pat Cipollone and Pence’s former chief of staff, Marc Short.
In a sign of the expanding nature of the investigation, election officials in several states whose results Trump has challenged have received subpoenas seeking communications with or involvement with Trump and his campaign aides.
A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack has recommended the Justice Department file criminal charges against Trump and associates who helped launch a pressure campaign to try to overturn his 2020 election defeat.