In a move that could well spell big trouble for failed, one-term former President Donald Trump and those who conspired with him to arrange the rioting which took place at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, it appears that five members of former Vice President Mike Pence’s inner circle are ready to tell what they know to the House Select Committee investigating what transpired on that fateful day earlier this year.
According to CNN, the committee does indeed want to speak with top officials who served as senior advisers to Pence:
Among them is Pence’s former national security adviser, Keith Kellogg, who was subpoenaed by the committee on Tuesday and was with former President Donald Trump most of the day on January 6.
While Kellogg was subpoenaed, most of the other staffers are reportedly eager to provide testimony:
Multiple sources tell CNN that some individuals close to Pence may be willing, either voluntarily or under the guise of a “friendly subpoena,” to provide critical information on how Trump and his allies tried to pressure the former vice president to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The other former Pence officials who are reportedly willing to talk to the committee include the ex-VP’s chief of staff:
Sources tell CNN the list consists of several people who are close to Pence, including former chief counsel Greg Jacob and former chief of staff Marc Short. Also of potential interest to the committee, according to a source with knowledge, are Pence’s previous chief of staff Nick Ayers, former legislative affairs director Chris Hodgson, political adviser Marty Obst, and former special assistant Zach Bauer.
In addition, former Pence press secretary and Trump communications aide Alyssa Farah, who left the administration in early December 2020, has voluntarily met with Republicans on the House select committee and provided information.
All five of the former Pence staffers are believed to have important details about what took place on the day of the Capitol insurrection, including information regarding what they may have heard or see Trump doing as pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and threatened to kill members of Congress and Pence:
The committee also stated that Kellogg was at the White House on January 6 as the attack unfolded and has “direct information” regarding Trump’s “statements about and reactions to the Capitol insurrection.”
While Kellogg served as Pence’s national security adviser, he is considered a key witness because of his proximity to Trump on January 6. The former president’s then national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, was out of town that day.
Jacob, as chief counsel to Pence, is also a key figure because he “played a critical role in countering efforts to persuade the former vice president not to certify the electoral results.”
That effort, according to committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), is important if the American people are ever to know exactly how close this country came to seeing a coup carried out by a sitting president:
“There was very clearly a plan on the political coup side to mobilize a campaign to get Mike Pence to block certification of the electoral college votes.”
Pence may also wind up being called to testify before the House Select Committee, which would set up an interesting quandary for a man who has tried to distance himself from his former boss but also needs Trump’s base of support if he hopes to run for the White House himself in 2024.
