Reports: Mike Pence subpoenaed by special counsel investigating Trump

(Image credit: Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

published 10 February 2023

Former Vice President Mike Pence has been subpoenaed by Jack Smith, the special counsel who is leading investigations into former President Donald Trump, people familiar with the matter told ABC News, The New York Times, and NBC News.

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith in November, tasking him with overseeing the Department of Justice's inquiries into Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents.

It is not clear what information Smith is seeking to obtain from Pence, ABC News reports, and the subpoena comes after months of negotiations between the former vice president's legal team and federal prosecutors. This move will likely set up a "clash over executive privilege," the Times adds, which "Trump has previously used to try to slow, delay, and block testimony from former administration officials in various investigations into his conduct."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.