Mike Pence says he’d consider appearing before Jan. 6 committee

Mike Pence. Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Well, can’t say we saw this coming!

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday signaled he’d be open to testifying before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot if he received “an invitation to participate,” CNN reports.

During a Q&A session following a speech at New Hampshire Institute’s “Politics & Eggs” breakfast series (described by CNN as a popular spot amongst prospective presidential candidates), Pence said he would give “due consideration” to a committee appearance if “there’s ever any formal invitation rendered to us.”

“You heard me mention the Constitution a few times this morning. Under the Constitution, we have three co-equal branches of government, and any invitation to be directed to me, I would have to reflect on the unique role I was serving in as vice president,” Pence said. “It would be unprecedented in history for a vice president to be summoned to testify on Capitol Hill. But, as I said, I don’t want to pre-judge, so if there’s ever any formal invitation rendered to us, we would give it due consideration.”

A “person with knowledge of Pence’s thinking,” however, warned against jumping to conclusions regarding Wednesday’s comments, noting the ex-VP would have “serious constitutional issues” about testifying, CNN writes.

The panel has been considering requesting Pence’s testimony for months, hoping to perhaps hear his account of the Jan. 6, 2021 exchange in which former President Donald Trump allegedly “berated” him for failing to block the certification of the 2020 election results, per Politico.

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