Mike Pence's testimony is a significant development in the two-year criminal investigation into Trump

 

Mike Pence's testimony is a significant development in the two-year criminal investigation into Trump

Former US Vice President Mike Pence testified during the criminal investigation into Donald Trump's alleged attempt to change the results of the 2020 presidential election that he lost.

Mr. Pence, 63 years old, sat for seven hours in front of a team of judges in Washington DC, as some sources told the BBC partner, the American CBS news channel mentioned.

At the beginning of this year, he was sent a summons to the court to testify.

The interviews were conducted in private.

His appearance on Thursday came hours after an appeals court rejected an attempt by Mr Trump's lawyers to stop Mr Pence from testifying.

Mr. Pence's lawyers also unsuccessfully sought to challenge the warrant, saying that his role as Speaker of the House of Representatives while in office meant that he had a vested interest.

The months-sought subpoena is a major breakthrough in a two-year investigation led by special counsel Jack Smith and a former war crimes prosecutor. Appointed as Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The investigators have been collecting evidence about whether Mr. Trump and his friends tried to challenge the results of the 2020 election, which President Joe Biden won.

They are also investigating the cause of the riot that took place in the United States Congress on January 6, 2021, when supporters of Mr. Trump stormed the building in an attempt to prevent the issuance of the certificate of victory.

Mr. Pence, like other vice presidents, once served as the president of the Senate - which is mostly a do-it-yourself position, able to divert the issue of issuing the certificate of victory and delay the transfer of power.

Mr. Trump has publicly pressured his deputy to do so, and his failure to do so led him to threaten Mr. Pence.

From there, Trump's supporters chanted the slogan "hang Mike Pence" as they entered the parliament building through the courtyard of the building at the same time that politicians including Mr. Pence were inside.

Mr. Pence is considered a key witness in the investigation, and while there is no immediate confirmation of what he told the jury, there is a possibility that prosecutors will ask him about the conversation they had with Mr. Trump and ' members of his team in the days and weeks leading up to the riots.

"We're going to follow the law, and we're going to tell the truth," Mr. Pence said in an interview with CBS News on Sunday. fight in that place.''

Mr. Pence spoke openly about the chaos that happened in the congressional building and the pressure he faced to challenge the results of the election. "President Trump made a mistake. I have no right to change the election results,'' he said in a speech in February.

In his memoirs, God Help Me, Mr. Pence wrote that Mr. Trump tried to pressure him, giving evidence of the election results on the morning of the incident. "You're going to be a disgrace!" the president at that time publicly said to Mr. Pence.

He also accused Mr. Trump of endangering the lives of his family and other people in the parliament building, saying that history will place responsibility on him.

Mr. Pence is reportedly considering a 2024 presidential bid, which would directly challenge his former boss in the Republican primary.

Mr. Trump, who has already announced his intention to return to the White House, will be in New Hampshire on Thursday for a rally.

When asked by NBC News about Mr. Pence's testimony, he responded: "I don't know what he said, but I have a lot of confidence in him."

The former president is facing other charges, including the investigation Mr. Smith is leading into tainted documents.

There is also a separate investigation in the state of Georgia on the alleged attempt to change the results of the 2020 election.

Thank you.

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