WASHINGTON (Fwrd Axis) — The January 6 select committee said it will detail how then-Vice President Mike Pence’s life was in danger when a mob attacked the U.S. Capitol in protest of the 2020 election on January 6, 2021.
“We’re going to show that that pressure campaign directly contributed to the attack on the Capitol, and it put the vice president’s life in danger,” a committee aide said on a conference call with reporters Wednesday.
Thursday’s hearing will focus on the Trump White House’s plan for Pence to stop Joe Biden’s election certification and keep Trump in power, which then would lead to a mob chanting to “hang Mike Pence”.
Hearing ➡️ tomorrow at 1:00pm
Witnesses:
• Mr. Greg Jacob, Former Counsel to Vice President Mike Pence
• The Honorable J. Michael Luttig, Retired judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and informal advisor to Mike Pence— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) June 15, 2022
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) will lead the panel’s discussion, which will include live testimony from former Pence counsel Greg Jacob and retired federal judge Michael Luttig. Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff at the time, but recorded testimony may be played.
Pence’s aides rejected the wild conspiracy theories by former President Donald Trump and conservative attorney John Eastman that the vice president had the authority to reject slates of electors.
Rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” and erected gallows outside of the building as they attempted to look for the former vice president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
John Wood, a federal prosecutor during the George W. Bush administration, will also question witnesses on Thursday.
“You have this situation where there was a group of committed public servants who upheld their oaths and were committed to the rule of law who was getting sound advice saying, ‘No, you can’t go down this path. This is unlawful. This is unconstitutional. The vice president doesn’t have this authority,’” the committee aide said.
“And yet at these decision points, the former president always went down the path and escalated the attack on the rule of law and further contributed to the run-up to the violence of Jan. 6,” the aide said.
