Former chief of staff says it sets ‘a very risky precedent’ for Pence to testify in front of Jan. 6 committee

The ex-chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that it would set a “very risky precedent” for Pence to testify in front of the House Jan. 6 committee.

“I think that for the committee there should be a reflection and an appreciation that there are real separation, and basically balance of power, here, but there’s also I think a precedent that’s of great concern,” Marc Short said during an interview with CBS.

The Jan. 6 committee has held a series of public hearings this summer in an effort to publicize its findings that aim to connect former President Trump to the Capitol insurrection.

Pence became a focus of attention for Capitol rioters on the day when the mob breached the building’s security and chants of “hang Mike Pence” were heard during the chaos.

Testimony shared with the public during the select committee’s hearings alleged that Trump privately pressured Pence to overturn the election results during the certification process on Jan. 6, 2021.

The former president also made calls publicly on Twitter for Pence to overturn his electoral loss. However, Pence resisted these calls.

During his interview with CBS, Short said that testimony from Pence would set a precedent for other vice presidents, like President Biden, to testify in front of Congress.

“Do you want a precedent where all the sudden you’re allowed to bring former vice presidents to talk about what they were doing when they were vice president, in the Congress to talk about their conversations with the president of the United States?” Short asked.

He added: “I think it’s a very risky precedent.”

Short said that his main concern on Jan. 6 was ensuring that Pence still planned to “complete the business of the American people that night” by counting the votes of electors in the 2020 presidential election.

The former chief of staff added that he called Trump’s then-chief of staff Mark Meadows to discuss the issue.

“Our focus was making sure that the capitol was safe, making sure that democracy was continuing forward,” Short said of his conversation with Meadows.