Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has been subpoenaed to testify by the special prosecutor investigating Donald Trump, reports Thursday several American media. He will notably be heard on his exact role in the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
This subpoena was decided following “months of negotiations between federal prosecutors and Mr. Pence’s legal team,” ABC said. His testimony might help shed light on the extent of the former US president’s efforts to prevent the certification of his Democratic rival Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory.
Read once more: Six years in the United States, from Trump to Trump
Donald Trump had indeed publicly pressured Mike Pence not to certify the results of the election on January 6, 2021, when he was on Capitol Hill besieged by supporters of the former Republican president.
Another investigation underway, on confidential documents
These actions were denounced as “irresponsible” by Mike Pence, potential presidential candidate for 2024, who nevertheless refused to be heard by the House of Representatives commission of inquiry into the attack on the Capitol.
In addition to this investigation, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, appointed in November by the United States Secretary of Justice, is overseeing a second investigation into the ex-president’s handling of confidential documents supposed to be archived following his departure from the White House. .
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Donald Trump, who has already announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, might try to prevent the testimony of his former vice president by wielding an executive prerogative to keep his communications confidential, as he has tried to do along with other officials named to testify in the federal investigation.
The special prosecutor will have to decide whether or not to recommend the indictment of the Republican billionaire, and it will be up to the Minister of Justice to decide.
