The former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, Marc Short, confirmed Monday that he officially testified last week in front of a grand jury investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
“I can confirm that I did receive a subpoena for the federal grand jury, and I complied with that subpoena,” Short told CNN’s Erin Burnett on ‘OutFront.’ “But under the advice of counsel, I really can’t say much more than that.
Short’s participation makes him the highest profile witnesses known to have testified in the criminal investigation into the attack on the US Capitol, according to CNN. His testimony proves that prosecutors are starting to attack the Trump White House as part of their investigation, which has expanded beyond the rioters that breached the Capitol.
The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have also reported that a second top former Pence aide, Greg Jacob, was subpoenaed in the inquiry and testified before the federal grand jury on Monday. Jacob has played a critical role in counting efforts to persuade Former Vice President Mike Pence not to certify the electoral results of the election.
The Justice Department has issued several subpoenas to Republican operatives connected to the attack on the capitol. In fact, Short and his attorney, Emmet Flood, were seen Friday leaving the federal courthouse where a federal grand jury is hearing testimony related to January 6 sn efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. ABC network was the first to report on his testimony.
Asked by Burnett about the edits Monday evening, Short said, “Certainly, there were probably some people who foolishly got caught up in the events that were happening on the sixth. But I think it’s unfair to describe the rioters as patriots or merely expressing their First Amendment rights.”
