Former Vice President Mike Pence testifies before federal grand jury

WASHINGTON

Former Vice President Mike Pence testified Thursday before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by ex-President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election, according to reports.

Several US media outlets reported that Pence spent several hours at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C. as part of an ongoing investigation into Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection.

The testimony marked the first time in US history that a vice president testified about a president he worked with.

It came after a US federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected Trump's attempt to prevent Pence from testifying, citing executive privilege.

The latest order from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals came after Trump's legal team filed an emergency motion to block a lower court’s decision directing Pence to testify.

Neither Trump nor Pence immediately commented on the reports.

In February, Special Counsel Jack Smith issued a subpoena to Pence to testify in an ongoing probe into potential federal crimes related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The former president reportedly pressured Pence to use his role in overseeing the certification of electoral results to delay or block the certification of Trump's defeat in the 2020 election. Trump lost those polls by over 7 million votes but has repeated unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud rejected time and again in court and by his ex-Attorney General William Barr.

Pence's decision to defy Trump's demands led to tension between the two, with the former vice president speaking publicly about Trump's efforts and his refusal, including in a memoir released in November.

Pence has repeatedly hinted that he may seek the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, setting the stage for a potential showdown with his onetime boss.