Former Pence Chief of Staff Has Testified to the Jan. 6 Committee

WASHINGTON — Marc Quick, who served as chief of workers to former Vice President Mike Pence, testified privately final week earlier than the Home committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, the newest flip in weeks of negotiations between the panel’s investigators and Mr. Pence’s group.

Mr. Quick appeared in response to a subpoena from the committee, in accordance with three folks with information of the developments, making him essentially the most senior individual round Mr. Pence who is thought to have cooperated within the inquiry.

Investigators imagine that participation by the previous vp and his interior circle is vital, as a result of Mr. Pence resisted a stress marketing campaign by former President Donald J. Trump to make use of his function in presiding over Congress’s official rely of electoral votes to attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

Mr. Quick was with Mr. Pence on Jan. 6 as a mob of Mr. Trump’s supporters attacked the Capitol, and has firsthand information of the hassle by Mr. Trump and his allies to attempt to persuade the previous vp to throw out authentic electoral votes for Joseph R. Biden Jr. in favor of faux slates of pro-Trump electors.

The folks spoke on situation of anonymity about Mr. Quick’s testimony, which was earlier reported by CNN.

Investigators have been in high-stakes negotiations for months with Mr. Pence’s group about whether or not he would cooperate with the inquiry. In current weeks, they’ve sought the cooperation of Mr. Quick and Greg Jacob, Mr. Pence’s former lawyer.

Mr. Quick and Mr. Jacob had been each carefully concerned in Mr. Pence’s consideration of whether or not to go together with Mr. Trump’s insistence that he attempt to block the official rely of Electoral School outcomes by a joint session of Congress. Three days earlier than the continuing, the 2 males met with John Eastman, a lawyer then advising Mr. Trump, a couple of memo Mr. Eastman had written setting out a case for why Mr. Pence had the ability to carry off the certification.

As a mob was attacking the Capitol chanting “Grasp Mike Pence,” Mr. Eastman despatched a hostile e-mail to Mr. Jacobs, blaming Mr. Pence for the violence.

“The ‘siege’ is as a result of YOU and your boss didn’t do what was essential to permit this to be aired in a public method in order that the American folks can see for themselves what occurred,” the lawyer, Mr. Eastman, wrote to Mr. Jacob.

Mr. Eastman has since invoked his Fifth Modification proper towards self-incrimination to defy the committee’s subpoena.

Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant basic who was Mr. Pence’s nationwide safety adviser, has additionally testified earlier than the committee. Mr. Kellogg informed investigators that as rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, Mr. Trump rejected pleas from him in addition to from Mark Meadows, the White Home chief of workers, and Kayleigh McEnany, the press secretary, to name for an finish to the violence. He mentioned Ivanka Trump, Mr. Trump’s eldest daughter and adviser, additionally tried to intervene a minimum of twice.

Mr. Kellogg mentioned he and Ms. Trump additionally witnessed a phone name within the Oval Workplace on the morning of Jan. 6 during which Mr. Trump pressured Mr. Pence to go together with a plan to throw out electoral votes. Mr. Kellogg informed the committee that the president had accused Mr. Pence of not being “powerful sufficient” to overturn the election.

Ms. Trump then turned to Mr. Kellogg and mentioned, “Mike Pence is an effective man,” Mr. Kellogg testified.

The developments come as Mr. Trump has continued to criticize Mr. Pence for refusing to embrace the decision to overturn the 2020 election.

“Mike Pence did have the fitting to vary the result, and so they now need to take that immediately,” Mr. Trump mentioned in a press release, referring to a bunch of senators who’re discussing revamping the Electoral Depend Act to make clear that the vp can not unilaterally change the election outcomes. “Sadly, he didn’t train that energy, he might have overturned the election!”

Mr. Trump additionally mentioned at a rally over the weekend that he may supply pardons to prison defendants charged in reference to the Jan. 6 riot, and that he would arrange extra protests ought to he be charged with against the law.