Special Counsel Jack Smith was present during former Vice President Pence’s testimony before a federal grand jury last week, CNN reported Wednesday.
On Thursday, Pence spent up to seven hours under questioning by the grand jury that was convened in Smith’s investigation of former President Trump’s role in the deadly January 6, 2021 insurrection and attempt to overturn the 2020 Presidential election.
Smith’s appearance during that proceeding is the first known time that he has attended grand jury testimony since he was appointed special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November.
While Pence has spoken extensively about Trump’s pressure campaign urging him to reject President Biden’s election victory in the days leading up to January 6, including in his memoir, “So Help Me God,” his hours before the grand jury was the first time he has done so under oath.
His testimony came one day after a U.S. Dictrict Court Judge James Boasburg blocked Trump’s appeal to prevent his former Vice President from testifying.
At his “Stop the Steal” rally ahead of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, Trump said to the gathered crowd on the National Mall, “I hope Mike Pence is going to do the right thing” and refuse to certify the results.
That came after a heated call in the morning between the then-President and Vice President, during which Trump reportedly called Pence a “wimp” for not agreeing to Trump’s demands.
Pence was 40 feet from the mob when he fled from the rioters inside the Capitol building who were shouting, “Hang Mike Pence!”
Four people died during the January 6 insurrection, and five police officers died of various causes following the attack.
The special counsel’s office declined to comment on CNN’s reporting, as did Pence adviser Marc Short.
