Jan 8, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Jan. 6 chair says panel will soon ask Pence to appear

Erin Doherty

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence arrives for the funeral service of the late former Senator Robert Dole (R-KS) at Washington National Cathedral on December 10, 2021 in Washington, DC. — Former Vice President Mike Pence arrives for the funeral service of the late former Sen. Robert Dole (R-Kan.) at Washington National Cathedral on Dec. 10. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot told NPR on Friday that the panel will ask former Vice President Mike Pence to voluntarily appear before the committee by the end of the month.

Why it matters: The committee is upping the ante of its closed-door investigation into the insurrection, and view Pence as a key witness into what former President Trump was doing during the more than three hours the Capitol was under attack.

Driving the news: "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," Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told NPR.

"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."
"I think you could expect that before the month's out," Thompson said.

The big picture: Thompson's remarks come as people in and around Pence's office have been cooperative as the Jan. 6 select committee focuses on what Trump was doing during the insurrection, Axios's Alayna Treene reports.

Pence in a letter before the Jan. 6 proceedings in 2021 wrote that he would not step out of his "largely ceremonial" role and reject the Electoral College votes, despite urging from the former president.

Go deeper: Scoop: Mike Pence’s team helping Jan. 6 committee

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Jan. 6 chair says panel will soon ask Pence to appear

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