A federal judge has ruled that former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence must testify to a grand jury about conversations he had with then-President Donald Trump leading up the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday, citing sources.
In a ruling that remains under seal, the judge ruled that Pence can still decline to answer questions related to his actions on Jan. 6, CNN reported. The CNN report added that Pence still has the ability to appeal the decision.
NBC News separately reported the judge's split decision citing sources familiar with the ruling, saying it compels Trump's former vice president to appear before the federal grand jury but shields him from testifying about Jan. 6, 2021.
The New York Times also said the ruling compels Pence's to appear.
Representatives for Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, who is leading the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into Trump and his allies' alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Pence's representatives also could not be immediately reached.
The Associated Press reported that Pence had argued that, because he was serving in his capacity as president of the Senate that day, he was protected from being forced to testify under the Constitution's "speech or debate" clause, which is intended to protect members of Congress from questioning about official legislative acts.
Pence, who is exploring a challenge to Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, is fighting a grand jury subpoena to secure his testimony, sources have told Reuters.
This article contains reporting from Reuters and The Asociated Press.
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