Pence subpoenaed by special counsel investigating Trump, sources say
Former Vice President Mike Pence has been subpoenaed by the special counsel who is overseeing the investigations into former President Donald Trump, multiple sources confirmed to CBS News.
Special counsel Jack Smith was appointed in November to oversee the Justice Department's criminal investigation into Trump, including the allegations that he retained national defense information at his residence at Mar-a-Lago and key aspects of the Jan. 6 investigation.
The subpoena was first reported by ABC News.
Special counsels have broad subpoena power, and it's unclear what information the special counsel is seeking in the subpoena.
Smith's office declined to comment. Pence's office declined to comment as well.
Pence is considering whether he will run for president in 2024, while Trump has already launched his 2024 bid.
Sources told CBS News in November that the Justice Department had reached out to Pence in connection to Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021. Sources familiar with the matter told CBS News at the time that Pence had received the request and was reviewing it.
The committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack said last year before concluding their investigation that they wanted to speak to Pence. Pence said in August that he would "consider" speaking to the committee, but said it would be "unprecedented in history for a vice president to be summoned to testify on Capitol Hill." There have been some instances of both sitting presidents and vice presidents called to testify before lawmakers. Pence later told "Face the Nation" that the committee had "no right" to his testimony.
The Justice Department investigation and the House committee were two separate probes and the House committee has since disbanded.
In the last few weeks, Ken Cuccinelli, a former top homeland security official; the president of the conservative government watchdog group Judicial Watch Tom Fitton; and former top Trump aide Johnny McEntee have all been spotted at the courthouse where multiple grand juries has been meeting to investigate whether criminal charges are warranted against Trump related to Jan. 6, 2021, 2020 election interference or his handling of classified documents after his presidency.
