Former Vice President Mike Pence said he intends to “fight” a subpoena issued by Special Counsel Jack Smith as part of the Justice Department’s (DOJ) probe of former President Donald Trump’s actions leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.
Speaking with reporters on Feb. 15, Pence called the attempt to compel his testimony “unprecedented and unconstitutional.”
“No vice president has ever been subject to a subpoena to testify about the president with whom they served,” Pence said after speaking at a Minnesota event promoting parental rights, per NBC News.
On Feb. 14, the Associated Press reported that Pence’s legal strategy would rely on protections under the Constitution’s Speech or Debate clause, which shields members of Congress from lawsuits or criminal prosecutions stemming from any legislative actions they take. As the vice president is also the president of the Senate, Pence’s actions during the Jan. 6 Electoral College vote count would fall into that category….