Mike Pence Must Testify

By Kenny Griffel ‘24
Vice President Mike Pence must testify to a grand jury about conversations he had with former President Donald Trump prior to the Capitol Insurrection on January 6, 2021. This ruling by Chief Justice Boasberg for the District of Columbia serves as another win for the special counsel led by Jack Smith, which has worked on the insurrection investigation and forced many witnesses of the insurrection to testify to the grand jury.

According to Pence, Trump has been putting him under immense pressure to avoid working with the special counsel and other aspects of the trial.  Junior Eliana Finkel said, “To put pressure on Pence borderlines obstructing justice is something that should never be tolerated in court cases.”
Smith and the special counsel subpoenaed Pence for testimony and documents on the 2020 election. However, the former Vice President believed this subpoena was unconstitutional, citing the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause which prevents lawmakers from certain law-enforcement actions that are connected to their legislative duties.  
Given the turbulence in Pence and Trump’s relationship surrounding the investigation, Pence’s involvement with the Trump Campaign will be limited moving forward, as Pence is caught in a political whirlwind between his support of Donald Trump and his hesitancy to follow Trump’s strict demands. Junior Avital Ely states, “Pence should not be forced to follow Trump blindly although that might be asked of him. To have individuals think for themselves today should be valued and sought after.”
According to one of Pence’s past testimonies, Pence faced enormous pressure from Donald Trump and his associates to disrupt lawmakers' plans to certify current President Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Trump’s advisers report a heated phone call Pence had with the then President prior to the January 6th insurrection. 
Nicholas Luna, former special assistant to Trump, recalled Trump calling Pence “a wimp,” while Julie Radford, Ivanka Trump’s former chief of staff, said Ivanka told her about an unhappy conversation in which Trump used many expletives and a derogatory term when speaking to Pence. 
The deterioration of Trump and Pence’s relationship is further displayed by their differing opinions on the election. Pence was hesitant to speak against the results of the election, which spurred hate towards him from hundreds of thousands who felt that the election process was dishonest. Pence told Donald Trump that he did not“question there were irregularities and fraud, [but] It is just a question of who decides, and under the law that is Congress,” clashing with Trump’s belief that the result of the election was invalid.