Appeals court rejects Trump’s effort to block Pence from testifying in Jan. 6 probe
Trump can still appeal to the Supreme Court but has not indicated whether he will.
A federal appeals court Wednesday rejected Donald Trump’s attempt to block former Vice President Mike Pence from testifying before a federal grand jury that’s investigating the former president’s role in the Jan. 6 riot and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington refused to block Pence’s subpoena after Trump filed an appeal this month to halt a lower court decision ordering Pence to testify. The decision is under seal, but the denial of Trump’s emergency motion was referenced in the court docket.
Trump can still appeal to the Supreme Court but has not indicated whether he will. A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.
In previous instances where the appeals court has said Trump’s senior aides or his defense attorney Evan Corcoran must testify, his legal team has opted not to fight the decisions further and those witnesses have quickly appeared before a grand jury.
Pence’s subpoena was issued by special counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the Justice Department’s investigations into Trump’s role in Jan. 6 and his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office.
