Trump appeals order requiring Pence to testify in Jan. 6 probe -source

Former President Donald Trump has appealed a judge’s decision forcing his former Vice President, Mike Pence, to testify in the special counsel investigation into attempts to rig the results of the 2020 presidential election, a source familiar with the situation said on Monday.

Following a decision involving the Justice Department investigation into actions taken to sabotage the 2020 presidential election, which Republican candidate Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden, Trump’s attorneys filed the appeal.

The case continues to be sealed. But, a fresh sealed case referring to a grand jury subject before U.S. District Chief Judge James Boasberg surfaced on the federal appeals court docket in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

According to an initial court schedule, which does not identify the parties involved in the case, the final briefs in the appeal are due on May 25.

Pence said last week that he will not challenge the judge’s decision compelling him to appear before a federal grand jury regarding contacts with Trump before the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In a March decision, the judge also stated that Pence might still choose not to respond to inquiries about January 6.

Requests for response from several of Trump’s lawyers went unanswered right away.

In two distinct investigations, Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November to handle the two Trump probes, is presenting evidence before grand juries.

Following Trump’s defeat by Biden in November 2020, the first investigation is looking at attempts to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power. The second examines whether Trump attempted to hinder the Justice Department’s investigation and whether he kept sensitive information at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, after he left office in January 2021.