Pence says he would ‘consider’ invitation to testify before Jan. 6 panel

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday said he would consider an invitation to appear before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, but cautioned that he would have to weight it against the “unprecedented” nature of a vice president testifying on Capitol Hill.

“If there was an invitation to participate, I would consider it,” Pence said at an event at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. “But you’ve heard me mention the Constitution a few times this morning. Under the Constitution, we have three co-equal branches of government. 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.”

“My first obligation is to continue to hold my oath, continue to uphold the framework of government enshrined in the Constitution,” Pence said.

The former vice president has been a central figure in the House committee’s work to tell the story of the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6 attack, as well as the day of the riots. The panel spent an entire public hearing detailing how former President Trump and his allies pressured Pence to reject the slate of electors from certain states to delay certification of President Biden’s electoral victory in 2020.

The panel also shared new details about how close rioters came to Pence’s location after he was evacuated from the Senate chamber, underscoring the danger the former vice president was in that day.

Pence on Wednesday said the American public has a right to know what happened on Jan. 6, and he teased that he would share more of his perspective in a forthcoming memoir due out in November.

But he criticized the make-up of the committee, expressing disappointment that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rejected multiple proposed Republican appointees because they had voted against certifying the election results on Jan. 6.

Instead, the committee is made up of all Democrats and two Republicans: Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), both of whom are among the most outspoken critics of Trump on Capitol Hill.

Pence’s appearance at Wednesday’s “Politics and Eggs” event comes as speculation swirls around a potential 2024 presidential bid. Pence has made multiple appearances in recent months in early primary states like New Hampshire, South Carolina and Iowa.