Topline
Former President Donald Trump has asked an appeals court to overturn a judge’s order for former Vice President Mike Pence to appear before a federal grand jury investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol, according to multiple reports, even though earlier attempts to keep aides from testifying have repeatedly failed.
Former President Donald Trump holds up his fist during an event at Mar-a-Lago on April 4, 2023 in … [+]
Key Facts
Trump’s attorneys have claimed executive privilege should shield testimony from Pence and others in essentially all investigations concerning the ex-president—an assertion courts have consistently rejected.
The reported appeal was filed with the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which rapidly shot down a Trump request last month to keep his personal attorney, Evan Corcoran, from testifying before a grand jury in a separate federal probe related to Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents.
A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes about the reported decision to appeal, which is under seal.
What We Don’t Know
It’s not clear when Pence might appear before the grand jury.
Key Background
Trump’s legal troubles have been growing for years but reached a new peak last week when he was placed under arrest in Manhattan on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump pleaded not guilty in the case, which centers on payments made to former fixer Michael Cohen after he made a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign, in an alleged attempt to keep her from publicly disclosing an affair she claimed to have with Trump years earlier—which he has denied. State prosecutors in New York argue the payments to Cohen for so-called legal services actually served as reimbursement for the alleged hush money payment to Daniels. Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing the two federal criminal probes involving Trump—related to January 6 and whether he knowingly brought classified records to Mar-A-Lago after leaving the White House—while Trump also faces a criminal probe in Georgia for his effort to overturn the 2020 election results, criminal investigations in New York for allegedly lying about property valuations and a $250 million civil lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James for alleged financial misconduct, among other legal woes. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has blasted the investigations as politically motivated “witch hunts.”
Further Reading
Key Trump Attorney Testifying In Mar-A-Lago Case Friday—Here’s Why It Could Be A Big Deal (Forbes)
Pence Agrees To Testify About Trump Conversations Before Jan. 6 Grand Jury (Forbes)
Pence Ordered To Testify About Trump Conversations Before Jan. 6 Grand Jury, Reports Say (Forbes)
First Photos Of Trump In Court Released (Forbes)
Trump Pleads Not Guilty To 34 Counts Of Falsifying Business Records (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/04/10/trump-asks-court-to-block-pences-jan-6-testimony/