Former Vice President Mike Pence told Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and her anti-Trump Democrat allies on the Jan. 6 Committee to go pound sand and will not testify before them.
Pence has been called to testify in the remaining days that the Committee has left in Congress before Republicans shut it down.
Pence told CBS News he will not testify before the Jan. 6 Committee because Congress has “no right” to his testimony.
“I’m closing the door on that,” Pence said.
“I served for 12 years in Congress.
“It’s inconceivable to me that one party would appoint every member of a committee in Congress.
“That’s antithetical to the whole idea of the committee system.
“That being said, I never stood in the way of senior members of my team cooperating with the committee and testifying, but Congress has no right to my testimony.”
Cheney and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) were not happy and claimed that Pence’s statement was “not accurate.”
They said:
“The Select Committee has proceeded respectfully and responsibly in our engagement with Vice President Pence, so it is disappointing that he is misrepresenting the nature of our investigation while giving interviews to promote his new book.
“Our investigation has presented the testimony of more than 50 Republican witnesses, including senior members of the Trump White House, the Campaign, & Justice Department.
“This testimony, subject to criminal penalties for lying to Congress, was not ‘partisan.’ It was truthful.
“Every member of the Select Committee supported the creation of an independent bipartisan commission.
“After initially supporting such a commission, Leader McCarthy withdrew his support, and the bipartisan plan to create the commission was defeated by Republicans in the Senate.
“McCarthy had the opportunity to nominate 5 members.
“Speaker Pelosi initially accepted 3 of those nominees and invited McCarthy to propose 2 others.
“Rather than doing so, McCarthy refused to participate—so that he could make the false claim that the Committee was one-sided.
“The Select Committee has consistently praised the former Vice President’s refusal to bow to former President Trump’s pressure to illegally refuse to count electoral votes on January 6th.
“But his recent statements about the Select Committee are not accurate.”
The Select Committee has consistently praised the former Vice President’s refusal to bow to former President Trump’s pressure to illegally refuse to count electoral votes on January 6th.
But his recent statements about the Select Committee are not accurate.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) November 17, 2022
The Select Committee has proceeded respectfully and responsibly in our engagement with Vice President Pence, so it is disappointing that he is misrepresenting the nature of our investigation while giving interviews to promote his new book.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) November 17, 2022
Our investigation has presented the testimony of more than 50 Republican witnesses, including senior members of the Trump White House, the Campaign, & Justice Department.
This testimony, subject to criminal penalties for lying to Congress, was not ‘partisan.’ It was truthful.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) November 17, 2022
McCarthy had the opportunity to nominate 5 members. Speaker Pelosi initially accepted 3 of those nominees and invited McCarthy to propose 2 others.
Rather than doing so, McCarthy refused to participate—so that he could make the false claim that the Committee was one-sided.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) November 17, 2022
