Special counsel Jack Smith has asked a federal judge to compel the testimony of former US Vice President Mike Pence before a federal grand jury investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News on Friday.
The motion to compel was filed in D.C. District Court on Friday and comes after former President Donald Trump's legal team challenged the subpoena issued to Pence on the grounds of executive privilege, the sources said.
Pence was subpoenaed earlier this month by Smith, the special counsel who was appointed in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland to lead the Justice Department's Trump probes.
The subpoena, which was first reported by ABC News, requested documents and testimony related to the attempt by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election.
Pence last week stated that he was willing to fight the subpoena all the way to the Supreme Court, adding his role as president of the Senate — which he was fulfilling during Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021 — makes him immune from the criminal grand jury proceedings Smith is leading.
Howell will likely ask both parties to file formal motions over the government's request, which could stretch on for weeks until she makes a decision, according to ABC News. It's expected that both sides will appeal regardless of how Howell rules.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)