Pence, of “Hang Mike Pence” fame, had contested a grand jury subpoena issued by special counsel Jack Smith. But after a judge mostly ruled against him, Pence has said he will not appeal the ruling.
And, oh, what a boatload of info he can provide!
From The New York Times:
From shortly after the election until Jan. 6, Mr. Pence was subjected to an intense pressure campaign from a range of Mr. Trump’s associates outside the government, including John Eastman, a lawyer working with the president, and from Mr. Trump himself. Mr. Pence had his advisers research what his powers were with regard to Jan. 6. Over time, he made clear to Mr. Trump that he did not believe he had the authority that the president insisted he did to unilaterally overturn the results of the Electoral College vote.
By Jan. 5, Mr. Trump’s pressure campaign had become so heated that Mr. Short, who was then Mr. Pence’s chief of staff, called the vice president’s lead Secret Service agent to his West Wing office to tell him that Mr. Trump was going to turn on Mr. Pence, and that they might have a security risk.
The next day, Mr. Trump publicly pressured Mr. Pence in a rally address to a pro-Trump crowd near the White House, then urged his followers to march “peacefully” and “patriotically” to the Capitol. Once there, hundreds of rioters swarmed the building, some chanting “Hang Mike Pence!”
Trump could still appeal his own, separate challenge to Pence’s subpoena, which he also lost, the Times notes. But Trump has lost numerous efforts to keep his top aides from testifying to the grand jury including an appeal just this week.
I don’t know about you but if my former boss or colleague said I deserved to be hung because I refused to overturn a presidential election for him, I’d be not just willing but eager to sing like a canary about him. Even if I wasn't thinking of running against him for president.
