On January 6, 2021, an embattled vice president, who had tried to think of a way to bow to Donald Trump’s demands, finally did his job and certified the 2020 election. Trump then mean-tweeted about Pence during an insurrection in which MAGA supporters erected a gallows pole and chanted “hang Mike Pence”. The vice president then had to be escorted out of the Capitol Building and taken to a safe location.
On Monday, CNN reported the breaking news that Marc Short, who was present during Trump’s pressure campaign that was targeted at Pence as well as during the attack on the Capitol Building, is now cooperating with the Jan. 6 committee. As a top aide who served from the beginning of Trump’s presidency – first as his legislative director and then as an aide to Pence – Short likely has a lot of information from inside the White House from 2016-2020.
‘Short remains one of Pence’s closest advisers and is a firsthand witness to many critical events the committee is examining, including what happened to Pence at the Capitol on January 6 and how former President Donald Trump pressured the former vice president not to certify the presidential election that day.’
John Eastman, the attorney who helped Trump pressure Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election, is refusing to testify to the Jan. 6 select committee.
Eastman has asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a letter to the committee. https://t.co/6YgQLvWdNj
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 3, 2021
Short has already felt the disapproval of Donald Trump, who is likely to publicly attack Short or say whatever he thinks might discredit him whether it’s true or not. Short refused to go along with the lies about the election or the attack on the Capitol Building.
‘Angry with Short’s role in backing Pence’s refusal to comply, Trump told others that he banned Short from the White House after the Capitol riot, as CNN previously reported.’
Pence: "I know I did the right thing" on Jan. 6 https://t.co/nWXXOHXs0y pic.twitter.com/UmU36Z6Fqg
— The Hill (@thehill) December 1, 2021
Pence’s team of aides and staffers have reportedly been more willing to work with the committee than those who worked under Trump during the insurrection. While it remains to be seen what Short revealed, members of the committee have said that public hearings will be coming in 2022.
Greg Jacob, Pence’s former general counsel, has emerged as a person of significant interest to the committee. Jacob played a critical role in persuading the former vice president to certify the electoral results.
Both Jacob and Short forcefully pushed back against the arguments from Eastman, who leaned on fringe legal theories in a controversial memo laying out how he claimed the vice president could overturn the election.
Trump-allied lawyer says he'll take the Fifth with Jan. 6 committee: John Eastman wrote memos arguing then-Vice President Mike Pence could overturn the 2020 election. https://t.co/iIwNRJfdG3
— Jeffrey Levin (@jilevin) December 4, 2021