Former Vice President Mike Pence’s former chief of staff appeared before a federal grand jury focused on the Jan. 6 riots last week, according to reports.
Mark Short, an aide who was with Pence at the US Capitol when Donald Trump supporters gathered at the building, confirmed to CNN and ABC News that he testified before the grand jury after being subpoenaed to do so.
“I think it was a liability and a danger to search the Capitol the way it was,” Short told ABC News. “And I think the Secret Service did a phenomenal job that day.
“I think the bigger risk, despite the way it may have been characterized in the hearings last week, frankly, is that if the mob had gotten close to the vice president, I really think there would have been a massacre in the Capitol that day.” “
He told CNN on Monday that this was his only grand jury appearance, but would not comment further.
Short also testified before a House select committee investigating the Capitol break-in.
Short testified that Pence told Trump “many times” that he disagreed with efforts to overturn the election. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
During one of the panel’s hearings last month, Short was shown on video testimony saying that Pence had told Trump “many times” that he did not agree with efforts to overturn the election, including turning away voters or declaring a victory for Trump.
The Justice Department is investigating possible criminal conduct related to attempts by Trump allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said last week the investigation was the most important and far-reaching in the Justice Department’s history.
Short said he believes there would have been a massacre if the crowd had approached Pence. House Select Committee via AP
“No one is above the law,” he said.
In a speech to Justice Department officials in January 2022, he vowed to hold anyone accountable for the January 6 riots, whether they were physically there or not. He said prosecutors were “committed to bringing to justice all perpetrators on January 6, at every level, under the law.”
With pole cables
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