Mike Pence Testifies Before Federal Grand Jury After Donald Trump's Failed Attempt to Block It

After a judge quashed Donald Trump's efforts to block his testimony, former Vice President Mike Pence has now testified before the federal grand jury investigating the former president's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential elections.

Pence is considered a key witness to former President Donald Trump's attempts to block congressional certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election win. His testimony could have a big impact on the legal and political fate of his one-time boss and possible 2024 rival, according to the New York Times.

The former vice president reportedly spent five hours behind closed doors at the Federal District Court in Washington. He was subpoenaed earlier this year but former President Donald Trump tried to block that testimony and failed. The testimony came only a few hours after a judge rejected Trump's bid.

The case of Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential elections is the focus of one of Special Counsel Jack Smith's two massive investigations into Trump, the other being the former president's handling of classified documents.

Mike Pence Spoke About Donald Trump's Pressure Campaign To Have Him Overturn Election Results

The Associated Press pointed out that it is still not clear what Pence talked about before the federal grand jury in that five-hour hearing. However, the former VP has extensively discussed his experience with Trump pressuring him about the elections while they were still in office.

Pence stated that Trump pressured him to reject Democrat Joe Biden's presidential election victory in the days leading up to the January 6 Capitol Insurrection. He even spoke about it in his memoir, "So Help Me God."

He has since admitted that as vice president, he only had a ceremonial role overseeing Congress' counting of the Electoral College vote. This means that he did not have the power to affect the results, despite Trump's claims otherwise.

Pence and Trump's relationship has since soured after January 6, when the pro-Trump mob chanted "Hang Mike Pence!" The former VP has since condemned the violence, saying that his former ally's words and actions have endangered his family.

"For four years, we had a close working relationship. It did not end well," Pence wrote in his memoir.

Mike Pence Also Tried to Block His Testimony Before Federal Grand Jury

While he had spoken about Trump's pressure campaign publicly, Pence was yet to testify in court prior to today, as he was one of the people who tried to block his testimony.

Pence tried to block the subpoena for his testimony on the grounds that it violated the "speech or debate" clause of the Constitution given his role overseeing the election results certification on Jan. 6, 2021. However, this was rejected by a judge and Pence did not challenge the decision.

As for Trump, he claimed executive privilege. According to Politico, the three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the former president's last-ditch effort to prevent or limit Pence's testimony on Wednesday, though the order remains sealed to protect the secrecy of the grand jury,

The ruling on Pence's testimony was considered a huge victory for Jack Smith, whose efforts to get the former VP to talk were stalled since the subpoena was issued last February.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Pence testifies to federal grand jury investigating Trump and Jan. 6 - CNN