“Mike Pence’s testimony is some of the most sharply incriminating evidence any witness can offer against Donald Trump,” legal analyst Glenn Kirschner
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Former Vice President Mike Pence testified behind closed doors for more than five hours Thursday, April 27 before the grand jury investigating ex-President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to reports from Reuters and other media outlets. Pence was subpoenaed by Special Counsel Jack Smith in February following months of negotiations between prosecutors and the former vice president’s legal team.
Smith is leading two criminal probes by the Department of Justice (DOJ) into Trump, including the former president’s efforts to remain in office after losing to President Joe Biden. Smith is also heading the DOJ’s investigation of the classified documents found in Trump’s Florida estate in August. Trump previously attempted to block his former vice president from testifying in the special counsel’s probe, arguing that the information being sought was protected by executive privilege. According to a report from CNN on Wednesday, however, a federal judge denied Trump’s request to halt the subpoena.
What happens now? Pence is exploring a challenge to his former running mate in the 2024 presidential election. Trump is the front-runner for the GOP nomination in several hypothetical matchups, including after he was dealt a 34-felony count indictment in Manhattan court last month. His testimony could play a huge potential role in Trump’s undoing, said legal analyst Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor. “…Indisputably this moves matters one giant step closer to a Donald Trump indictment for his democracy-busting crimes on and around January 6, and that is a damn good thing,” Kirschner said.
(Agencies)