Schiff ‘encouraged’ by Pence possibly testifying before Jan. 6 committee

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said on Sunday that he was “encouraged” by the prospect of former Vice President Pence testifying before the House select committee investigating the Jan 6., 2021 attack at the Capitol. 

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” moderator Jake Tapper asked Schiff about remarks Pence made at an event in New Hampshire in which he indicated that he would consider an invitation by the committee to testify about the Capitol riot.

“I was encouraged to hear it. And I hope it meant what it sounded like it meant,” Schiff told Tapper, adding that the panel has been in discussion with Pence’s legal counsel “for some time” on the matter. 

“So he knows of our interest in having him come before us,” Schiff added. “And I am confident that, if he is truly willing, that there is a way to work out any executive privilege or separation of powers issues.”

“He could plainly share a lot of very firsthand information about what it was like to be the subject of those efforts to get him to violate his constitutional duty and arrogate to himself the power to decide who won or who lost an American presidential election,” Schiff said. 

Last week, Pence said he would consider testifying before the House panel on the Capitol insurrection, but noted it would be “unprecedented” for a vice president to testify before Congress.

Pence has become a prominent figure in the committee’s investigation of the insurrection where one hearing earlier this summer focused squarely on efforts to pressure him into overturning former President Trump’s defeat.

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