Former vice president Mike Pence refuses to testify before the House January 6 committee. He told CBS News that Congress “has no right” to his testimony and was “concerned” about the members all being chosen by Nancy Pelosi.
When asked about testifying, Pence told host Margaret Brennan, “I am closing the door on that.” He added, “We have a separation of powers under the Constitution of the United States. And I believe it would establish a terrible precedent for the Congress to summon a vice president of the United States to speak about deliberations that took place at the White House.”
Additionally, he noted, “But I must say again, the partisan nature of the January 6 committee has been a disappointment to me. It seemed to me in the beginning, there was an opportunity to examine every aspect of what happened on January 6, and to do so more in the spirit of the 9/11 Commission, nonpartisan, nonpolitical, and that was an opportunity lost.”
A nonpartisan panel to investigate the events of January 6, 2021, was unsuccessful due to GOP resistance in the Senate. However, Pelosi moved forward with a select committee and rejected two of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s nominations. McCarthy then withdrew his other candidates.
The panel has made Vice President Pence a key figure in its public hearings, outlining perceived dangers he faced for defying calls from former President Trump and others to reject electors from particular states. After many public hearings and hundreds of private interviews in recent months, the committee is ending, with Republicans unlikely to reauthorize it.
