Mike Pence now says he WOULD consider testifying to the January 6 committee

Mike Pence on Wednesday did not rule out testifying before the House January 6 Committee, which has focused its inquiry on key aspects of Donald Trump’s election overturn effort involving the former vice president.

‘I would consider it,’ Pence said at an appearance at a ‘Politics & Eggs’ event in New Hampshire on Wednesday.

His comment came hours after House Jan. 6th Committee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney lost her primary in Wyoming after defying Trump and voting to impeach him.

It also comes after the FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in search of additional classified documents after Trump returned 15 boxes of material to the government after leaving office.

That event helped drive a series of Republican officeholders to Trump’s side while blasting FBI tactics, in an event that some observers said would help the former president fend off challengers from within the party he has bent to his image.

In his remarks Wednesday, Pence rebuked fellow Republicans who have gone after law enforcement for the raid.

He said they should hold the FBI and DOJ accountable ‘without attacking the rank-and-file law enforcement personnel.

‘Our party stands with the men and women who stand on the thin blue line at the federal and state and local level, and these attacks on the FBI must stop,’ he said. 

The comments came at a packed event in the first-in-the-nation primary state. 

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have warned of the potential for violent threats against law enforcement following the raid, which was secured after investigators obtained a warrant. Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed that he signed off on the decision.

Breatbart news published the warrant with the names of participating FBI agents on it. Online threats since the raid have warned of rebellion and ‘civil war.’ 

An armed man was with an AR-15 assault rifle was killed after trying to get into the FBI field office in Columbus, Ohio. He had posted on Trump’s Truth Social network , where he posted that he ‘tried attacking the FBI.’

Pence in his comments once again sought to find ways to avoid directly criticizing Trump while still pointing to a new path.

‘I came here today not to look backwards but to look forwards, because elections are about the future,’ said.

 ‘We need to do more than criticize and complain, we need to unite our movement around a bold, optimistic agenda that will give solutions for the American people,’ he added.

Even in his comment on attacks on law enforcement, he went after liberal critics of police funding and tactics. ‘Calls to defund the FBI are just as wrong as calls to defund the police,’ he said. 

Pence aides have spent months negotiating with the committee, and several, including former chief of staff Marc Short, spoke to the panel themselves.

Pence would have a unique ability to speak about Trump’s pressure campaign to try to get him to refuse to accept votes certified by states

Other people close to Trump, including Ivanka Trump, have agreed to testify

His comments came shortly after Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney lost her primary race

Pence unstintingly praised Trump while in office, but has cited ‘differences’ between them around Jan. 6

Other witnesses testified about dramatic confrontations inside the White House where Trump advisors claimed that Pence had the authority while presiding over the counting of electoral votes Jan. 6th to unilaterally decline to accept votes certified by states that went for Joe Biden.

Pence’s comment received multiple hedges about appearing before a panel that subpoenaed many former Trump associates but has engaged in arm’s length negotiations with Pence’s team.

‘If there was an invitation to participate, I would consider it. But, you’ve heard me mention the Constitution a few times this morning,’ he said. ‘Under the Constitution we have three coequal branches of government. Any invitation directed at me, I’d have to reflect on the unique role I was serving in as Vice President. It would be unprecedented in history for a VP to be summoned to testify on Capitol Hill.’

Pence also once again spoke about the dramatic FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago, which has drawn a series of condemnations by top Republicans.

‘It’s fairly well known that President Trump and I have had our differences,’ he said, adding that he would ‘continue to call’ for Attorney General Merrick Garland to make more information available. 

The government told a court that the affidavits justifying the search should remain under seal for the protection of witnesses and its ongoing investigation. Trump has demanded its release.