WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith has requested a federal judge to compel former Vice President Mike Pence to testify earlier than a federal grand jury concerning the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, a senior regulation enforcement official confirmed to NBC Information on Friday.
The movement was filed earlier than U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington and stays sealed. It was first reported by CBS Information. The judge will possible set dates for motions to be filed and presumably to hear oral arguments.
NBC Information reported this month that Smith had subpoenaed Pence within the Jan. 6 portion of the particular counsel’s investigation. Former President Donald Trump’s authorized staff is combating the subpoena.
Pence himself instructed reporters final week that he would combat the subpoena.
“Let me first be clear: I’m going to combat the Biden DOJ subpoena for me to seem earlier than the grand jury as a result of I imagine it’s unconstitutional and it’s unprecedented,” Pence stated.
In December, NBC Information reported that Smith had subpoenaed native officers in key presidential swing states for any and all communications involving Trump, his marketing campaign and a sequence of aides and allies who assisted in his effort to overturn the 2020 election.
The transfer was a sign that Smith is probing an alleged scheme involving pretend electors, a slate of people who signed paperwork purporting they have been their states’ rightful electors and falsely asserting Trump was the victor in these states.
