Former Vice President Mike Pence says he will challenge a subpoena by the special counsel overseeing the Donald Trump investigations.
Pence on Wednesday said he will take the battle to the Supreme Court if necessary.
Special counsel Jack Smith is investigating efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election. As part of the investigation, Pence was issued a subpeona to testify.
"Let me first be clear: I'm going to fight the Biden DOJ subpoena for me to appear before the grand jury because I believe it's unconstitutional and it's unprecedented," Pence told supporters in Iowa, per the Associated Press. "Never before in American history has a vice president been summoned to appear in court to testify against the president with whom they serve."
Pence added that he was prepared to take the case “as far as it needs to go, if needs be to the Supreme Court of the United States.”
The AP previously reported that Pence plans to argue that because he was serving in his role as president of the Senate on Jan. 6, as he presided over a joint session of Congress to certify the election results, he is protected under the Constitution's "speech or debate" clause, which is intended to protect members of Congress from questioning about official legislative acts.
While a spokesman for Smith declined to comment, the AP reported that the Justice Department is expected to oppose the former vice president's efforts and make the case that his cooperation is essential.
Pence was a central figure in Trump's efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election, with the then-president falsely insisting that Pence could simply reject the results and send them back to the battleground states he contested, per the AP.
Driven by the lie that the election was stolen, Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building while the results were being certified, with some in the mob chanting "Hang Mike Pence."
In the interview with ABC, Pence called Trump's conduct "reckless," saying his words "endangered me and my family and everyone at the Capitol building."
"It was clear he decided to be part of the problem," Pence added.
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