This week, a federal judge ordered former Vice President Mike Pence to provide testimony to a grand jury that is investigating the attempts made by Donald Trump, former President of the United States, to remain in office after losing the 2020 presidential election. The prosecutors were seeking information from Pence about Trump’s demand that he use his ceremonial role as presiding officer of the Electoral College vote count to derail the process.
Trump’s legal representatives argued that executive privilege should be observed when it comes to Pence’s testimony, while Pence’s lawyers argued that his role as President of the Senate ought to be protected from any type of legal scrutiny under the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause. The New York Times reported that aides of Pence had thoroughly documented the pressure from Trump on top of what was already public pressure being exerted by him.
In one Twitter post on January 6th 2021, Trump posted: “If Vice President @Mike_Pence comes through for us, we will win the Presidency,” Trump claimed on Twitter on January 6, 2021. “Many States want to decertify the mistake they made in certifying incorrect & even fraudulent numbers in a process NOT approved by their State Legislatures (which it must be). Mike can send it back!”
And followed up with another statement: “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!” expressing dissatisfaction at Pence for not intervening in order for certain states to supposedly certify a set of facts different than those which had initially been presented.
The ruling this week follows a separate judge’s decision which stated that several Trump administration officials were not allowed invoke executive privilege in order to avoid testifying in yet another criminal probe into Trump’s behavior surrounding the 2020 election. Lastly, last week an appeals court ruled that an attorney representing former President must testify and deliver documents related to Trump in connection with a federal criminal probe concerning how he handled government records once out office.