Capitol riot investigators are interested in speaking with former Vice President Mike Pence.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House select Jan. 6 committee, told NPR that he expects Pence will be asked for a voluntary interview in the coming weeks. “I think you could expect that before the month’s out,” Thompson said.
Pence presided over a joint session of Congress to ratify President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election on Jan. 6. Despite pressure from former President Donald Trump and the chaos that day due to hundreds of rioters storming the building, Pence did not try to send the results back to certain states Trump lost in November over claims of election fraud and irregularities. In fact, he sent a letter to Congress saying that he did not have the power to reject Electoral College votes.
“The vice president was put in a tough spot. The president was putting a lot of pressure on him to break the law, and he stood fast,” Thompson said. “And because of his respect for law, there were people who came to the Capitol a year ago wanting to hang him. And so, if for no other reason, our committee really needs to hear what are his opinions about what happened on Jan. 6.”
Thompson said the committee will meet sometime next week behind closed doors and expects members to finalize plans regarding a request to Pence to ask him to voluntarily appear before the committee.
Rep. Liz Cheney, one of two Republicans on the committee, appeared to confirm on Thursday reports that associates of Pence have been cooperating with the panel. She avoided a question about whether the committee would subpoena Pence himself but called him a “hero” and said she looked forward to his cooperation.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In December 2021, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the other Republican on the committee, said the panel may issue subpoenas for members of Congress and Trump. He said reaching the truth of what happened on Jan. 6 would require the committee to look beyond what happened on that date alone, adding, “Nobody in America is above the law.”
