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Former Vice President Mike Pence recently announced he would challenge Special Counsel Jack Smiths subpoena for him to appear before a grand jury in Washington as part of the investigation into former President Donald Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the related Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Mr. Pence claimed that the Biden D.O.J. subpoena was unconstitutional and unprecedented. He added, For me, this is a moment where you have to decide where you stand, and I stand on the Constitution of the United States. Mr. Pence vowed to take his fight all the way to the Supreme Court.

A politician should be careful what he wishes for no more so than when hes a possible presidential candidate who would have the Supreme Court decide a constitutional case that could undermine his viability in an upcoming campaign.

The former vice president should not want the embarrassing spectacle of the Supreme Court compelling him to appear before a grand jury in Washington just when hes starting his campaign for the presidency; recall the unanimous Supreme Court ruling that ordered Richard Nixon to turn over the fatally damning Oval Office tapes. That has to be an uncomfortable prospect for Mr. Pence, not to mention a potentially damaging one for a man who at least as of today is considered by many of us across the political spectrum to be a profile in courage for his refusal to join in the attempt to overturn the 2020 election in the face of Donald Trumps demands. And to be clear, Mr. Pences decision to brand the Department of Justices perfectly legitimate subpoena as unconstitutional is a far cry from the constitutionally hallowed ground he stood on Jan. 6.

Injecting campaign-style politics into the criminal investigatory process with his rhetorical characterization of Mr. Smiths subpoena as a Biden D.O.J. subpoena, Mr. Pence is trying to score points with voters who want to see President Biden unseated in 2024. Well enough. Thats what politicians do. But Jack Smiths subpoena was neither politically motivated nor designed to strengthen President Bidens political hand in 2024. Thus the jarring dissonance between the subpoena and Mr. Pences characterization of it. It is Mr. Pence who has chosen to politicize the subpoena, not the D.O.J.

As to the merits of his claim, The New York Times and other news media have reported that Mr. Pence plans to argue that when he presided over the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 as president of the Senate, he was effectively a legislator and therefore entitled to the privileges and protections of the Constitutions speech or debate clause. That clause is intended to protect members of Congress from questioning and testifying about official legislative acts. Should the courts support his claim, Mr. Pence would not be required to comply with Mr. Smiths subpoena. Mr. Pence may also be under the impression that the legal fight over his claim will confound the courts, consuming months, if not longer, before he receives the verdict but its unclear what he hopes to gain from the delay. One would have thought Mr. Pence would have seized the propitious opportunity afforded him by Mr. Smith, most likely weeks or months before he even decides whether he will run for the presidency.

If Mr. Pences lawyers or advisers have told him that it will take the federal courts months and months or longer to decide his claim and that he will never have to testify before the grand jury, they are mistaken. We can expect the federal courts to make short shrift of this Hail Mary claim, and Mr. Pence doesnt have a chance in the world of winning his case in any federal court and avoiding testifying before the grand jury.

Inasmuch as Mr. Pences claim is novel and an unsettled question in constitutional law, it is only novel and unsettled because there has never been a time in our countrys history where it was thought imperative for someone in a vice presidents position, or his lawyer, to conjure the argument. In other words, Mr. Pences claim is the proverbial invention of the mother of necessity if ever there was one.

Any protections the former vice president is entitled to under the speech and debate clause will be few in number and limited in scope. There are relatively few circumstances in which a former vice president would be entitled to constitutional protection for his conversations related to his ceremonial and ministerial roles of presiding over the electoral vote count. What Mr. Smith wants to know about are Mr. Pences communications and interactions with Mr. Trump before, and perhaps during, the vote count, which are entirely fair game for a grand jury investigating possible crimes against the United States.

Whatever the courts may or may not find the scope of any protection to be, they will unquestionably hold that Mr. Pence is nonetheless required to testify in response to Mr. Smiths subpoena. Even if a vice president has speech or debate clause protections, they will yield to a federal subpoena to appear before the grand jury. This is especially true where, as here, a vice president seeks to protect his conversations with a president who himself is under federal criminal investigation for obstructing the very official proceedings in which the special counsel is interested.

Mr. Pence and his inner circle should be under no illusion that the lower federal courts will take their time dispensing with this claim. The courts quickly disposed of Senator Lindsey Grahams speech or debate clause claim, requiring him to testify before the grand jury empaneled in Fulton County, Ga. and his claim was far stronger than Mr. Pences. In the unlikely event that Mr. Pences claim were to make it to the Supreme Court, it, too, could be expected to take swift action.

Mr. Pence undoubtedly has some of the finest lawyers in the country helping him navigate this treacherous path forward, and they will certainly earn their hefty fees. But in cases like this, the best lawyers earn their pay less when they advise and argue their clients cases in public than when they elegantly choreograph the perfect exit in private before their clients get the day in court they wished for.

Mr. Pences lawyers would be well advised to have Jack Smiths phone number on speed dial and call him before he calls them. The special counsel will be waiting, though not nearly as long as Mr. Pences lawyers may be thinking. No prosecutor, least of all Mr. Smith, will abide this political gambit for long. And Mr. Pence shouldnt let this dangerous gambit play out for long. If he does, it will be more than he wished for.

It is a time-tested axiom in the law never to ask questions you dont know the answer to. This should apply to politicians in spades. But the die has been cast by the former vice president. The only question now is not whether he will have to testify before the grand jury, but how soon. The special counsel is in the drivers seat, and the timing of Mr. Pences appearance before the grand jury is largely in his hands. Mr. Smith will bide his time for only so long.

J. Michael Luttig, a former judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, provided advice to then-Vice President Mike Pence on the run-up to the Electoral College count on Jan. 6, 2021.

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Opinion | Mike Pence Should Drop His Grand Jury Subpoena Gambit - The ...

Mike Pences former adviser said she believes the Justice Departments subpoena serves as a "security blanket" for the former vice president as hes reportedly mulling a 2024 presidential run.

Olivia Troye, former Homeland Security adviser and counter terror adviser for Pence during his time at the White House, said in an interview on MSNBC Saturday that the DOJ subpoena, viewed as the most aggressive step taken so far in investigations into former President Donald Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, gives the former vice president some "political top cover."

"I do think he has an intention to run, and with the subpoena I think it gives him political top cover. This is sort of the security blanket that I think Mike Pence has been looking for in terms of coming forward and actually talking about what really happened in a very honest and truthful way behind closed doors," Troye said. "And then publicly, he can say, look, I was compelled legally. I didnt willingly do this. And he has some political top cover there for the base of the Republican Party. Although, I feel like that base is gone. Although in his calculation, maybe he still thinks that he can win them back."

On Friday, the FBI discovered an additional document with classified markings at Pence s Indiana home following the discovery by his lawyers last month of sensitive government documents there. The search, described as consensual after negotiations between Pence's representatives and the DOJ, comes after he was subpoenaed in a separate investigation into efforts by Trump to overturn the 2020 election.

TRUMP CALLS PENCE A VERY HONORABLE MAN AFTER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH SUBPOENA

Former Vice President Mike Pence, seen with his wife Karen walk at the Capitol, was subpoenaed as part of the Justice Department's special counsel investigation. (House Select Committee via AP, File)

Pence is the latest official in Trump's administration to be subpoenaed as part of the Justice Departments special counsel investigation, but Pence is the highest-ranking official known to have been summoned. The subpoena issued by special counsel Jack Smith, sets the stage for a potential dispute over executive privilege.

In a sit-down interview in November with CBS News host Margaret Brennan, Pence said explained his decision not to testify before the House selection committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot.

"Congress has no right to my testimony," Pence said then. "We have a separation of powers under the Constitution of the United States. And I believe it would establish a terrible precedent for the Congress to summon a Vice President of the United States deliberations that took place at the White House."

"Im closing the door on that," Pence added at the time. "I must say again, the partisan nature of the Jan. 6 committee has been a disappointment to me."

Former Vice President Mike Pence, seen talking from his secure loading dock location during the Jan. 6 riot, is facing a DOJ subpoena related to investigations into former President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. (House Select Committee via AP)

Troye speculated Saturday that she thinks Pence is more likely to cooperate with the DOJ.

"I think in his head, in his perspective, he thought that the Jan. 6 committee was too political. And I think that was the excuse that he used," Troye told MSNBC. "Now granted, I personally believe completely differently. I think he should have been forthcoming. I think he should want to willingly tell the American people the truth about just how bad the situation was. But in some ways, its a political advantage.

"If DOJ, you know, takes Donald Trump out of the running, that works in Mike Pences favor," she added. "And Im sure that is part of the calculus going to the Pence team. Its not like they are not thinking about that strategic bigger picture in the long run."

Former Vice President Mike Pence might evoke executive privilege if he chooses not to comply with the DOJ subpoena issued by special counsel Jack Smith. (House Select Committee via AP, File)

Its not clear if Trump and Pences legal teams will coordinate on a response to the DOJ subpoena. Pence has been represented by veteran attorney Emmet Flood, whom Troy described as an "executive privilege hawk."

If Pence ultimately does not wish to comply with the subpoena, he may look for Trump to intervene by invoking executive privilege, according to The Associated Press. Such an action could result in closed-door arguments before the D.C. court's chief federal judge, Beryl Howell.

"Lets be honest. Pence has been stalling to tell the truth and really talk about this for over two years now. Thats how long its been. And they continue to stall this process," Troye said Saturday.

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Pence is now the third current or former top U.S. official, joining Trump and current President Joe Biden, to have their homes scoured by FBI agents for classified records.

Pence and Biden have presented themselves as fully cooperative compared to the Justice Department having to secure a warrant to raid Trumps residence at Mar-a-Lago in Florida last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering politics, crime, police and more. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on Twitter: @danimwallace.

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Mike Pence's former adviser says DOJ subpoena acts as 'security blanket ...

Former Vice President Mike Pence continues to leave the door open to 2024 presidential run but told CBS News this week that he does not feel any rush to formally announce a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, even though his former boss, former President Donald Trump, is already seeking it.

"I think we've got time," Pence said in an interview on Tuesday in The Villages, a Republican stronghold in central Florida.

Pence's lack of urgency about an announcement reflects broader dynamics inside the Republican Party, where the 2024 presidential race has yet to dominate discussions among rank-and-file voters and major donors, particularly with the new House Republican majority in the political spotlight.

With Congress driving national debates, Pence and many other possible 2024 Republican contenders are focusing instead on their current elected offices or on bolstering ties with the party's voters. On Saturday, Pence, long close to the conservative evangelical community, will launch a tour of megachurches.

"In the months ahead, I'm just going to be listening to the American people," Pence said. "We're going to continue to travel, we're going to continue to listen."

"I think we're going to have new leadership in this party and in this country," he added. "And I have every confidence that our voters will rally behind our standard bearer and we'll give the country a new beginning."

When asked why he and other possible Trump rivals are staying out of the 2024 race for now, Pence said that Trump's decision to enter the race last November will not change his own deliberations: "The only thing we've decided for sure is that we weren't going to let anybody else make our decision for us."

CBS News interviewed Pence after an event he held promoting his memoir, "So Help Me God," which was published last year by Simon & Schuster, a subsidiary of CBS News' parent company Paramount Global.

Pence's book signing was in The Villages, a high-profile retirement community in Sumter County where Trump won 68% of the vote in 2020. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considered another top possible challenger to Trump, won the county with 73% of the vote in his 2022 reelection bid.

Ahead of last year's midterm elections, Pence worked to build his political capital inside the party, visiting 35 states to campaign for Republican candidates up and down the ballot. Since then, he has visited early voting 2024 states like New Hampshire and Iowa as part of his book tour.

At book gatherings, Pence often fields questions from a moderator or the crowd about his time with Trump, including the tumultuous end of their relationship leading up to the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol. He often says he and Trump will never see "eye to eye" about that day, when Pence oversaw the congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election and Trump urged him to take steps to block it.

Since Republicans had a disappointing showing in the midterms, winning only a narrow House majority and failing to win control of the Senate after aiming for a "red wave," Pence has suggested to audiences that it's time for Republicans to move on from candidates who are "focused on relitigating the past," though he has been careful with remarks and still speaks highly of his years as vice president.

In his CBS News interview, Pence drew a connection between the stolen election rhetoric that fueled many of those involved in the Jan. 6 attacks to the recent attacks on Brazil's government buildings and democratic institutions, which were carried out by supporters of former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro.

"It is evidence that what happens in the United States has repercussions around the world. I have no doubt that this tragic day, in January of 2021 in this country, played some role in sowing the seeds of what's taking place in Brazil," Pence said.

Pence also said he believed there is a "double standard" between how the Justice Department handled recently revealed papers marked as classified held at a Biden think tank, and how the government executed a search for documents marked as classified at Trump's resort in Florida. Attorney General Merrick Garland has assigned the U.S. attorney in Chicago to review the roughly 10 documents found at the office used by President Biden after he left the vice presidency, while a special counsel has been appointed to probe the Mar-a-Lago document matter, where hundreds of sensitive documents were discovered.

Pence called the Mar-a-Lago search "a gross overreach," and when asked if there should also be a special counsel investigating the Biden documents, Pence said, "I think there should be equal treatment under the law."

"They're different in degree, but not in kind," Pence said about the two investigations, when asked if he would acknowledge a difference in the episodes, in terms of scope and context.

"And when the American people see President Biden receiving one form of treatment with the discovery of classified documents that were retained after he left the office of the vice president, they see President Trump treated in an entirely different way," he said.

"Again, the handling of classified material is a very serious issue for our nation, and we ought to take it seriously. But there ought to be equal treatment under the law," he added.

Turning to the new House Republican majority, Pence, who served in the House for over a decade, told the crowd in The Villages that last week's chaotic battle for the speakership was "invigorating" and said he has "every bit of confidence" that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy "is going to lead that new conservative majority with skill and integrity and conservative principles."

"That's what democracy should look like," Pence told CBS News about the contentious, multi-ballot showdown over the speakership on the House floor. "I think that vigorous open debate, the airing of differences, and ultimately the result is going to benefit the Congress and ultimately benefit the American people."

As he mulls a 2024 run, Pence's policy group, Advancing American Freedom, has begun to lay out legislation recommendations for the new GOP-controlled House. On Monday, the group released a framework focused on energy independence that seeks to temper climate change-related regulations and committees.

Pence told CBS News he thinks it's "incumbent on Speaker McCarthy and the new Republican majority" to reinstate or maintain several immigration policies enacted during the Trump-Pence administration, such as building more walls along the U.S.-Mexico border, the "Remain in Mexico" policy and Title 42, a pandemic-era border policy aimed at curbing the number of migrants who are allowed to seek asylum.

The Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration from ending Title 42 last month.

Robert Costa is CBS News' chief election and campaign correspondent based in Washington, D.C.

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Pence on possible 2024 presidential run: "I think we've got time"

(1959-)

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was a conservative radio and TV talk show host in the 1990s. After losing two bids for a U.S. congressional seat, he successfully ran for Congress in 2000, rising to the powerful position of Republican conference chairman, before being elected governor of Indiana in 2012. Named Donald Trump's running mate in July 2016, Pence became vice president of the United States when Trump won the presidential race on November 8, 2016, though their administration ended four years later with a loss to the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket.

Michael Richard Pence was born on June 7, 1959, in Columbus, Indiana. One of six children of Nancy and Edward Pence, a U.S. Army veteran who operated a series of gas stations, Pence was politically influenced by the Irish Catholic leanings of his family. He grew up idolizing former President John F. Kennedy and volunteered for the Bartholomew County Democratic Party as a student at Columbus North High School.

While church had played an important role in Pence's early family life, he became more deeply religious as a student at Hanover College. Additionally, although he voted for Jimmy Carter in 1980, he became inspired by Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party. After graduating with a B.A. in history in 1981, he moved to Indianapolis in 1983 to attend the Indiana University McKinney School of Law, earning his J.D. in 1986. While church had played an important role in Pence's early family life, he became more deeply religious as a student at Hanover College, where he became a "born-again Evangelical Catholic."

Pence has been married to wife Karen since 1985. A former elementary school teacher, Karen has also been involved with youth-related nonprofit organizations. The couple has three adult children: Michael, Charlotte and Audrey.

Pence went into private practice following his graduation and tried his hand at politics by becoming a precinct committeeman for the Marion County Republican Party. Seeking to make a bigger splash, he ran for Congress in 1988 and 1990, losing both times to Democrat Phil Sharp. However, Pence learned a valuable lesson in defeat; disgusted by his own line of attack ads, he penned an essay in 1991 titled "Confessions of a Negative Campaigner," and vowed to preach a positive message from then on.

Meanwhile, his public profile continued to grow. Pence served as president of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation from 1991 through 1993, before making the leap to radio talk show punditry with "The Mike Pence Show." Referring to himself as "Rush Limbaugh on decaf," Pence was unapologetic in his support of a conservative agenda, but was commended for his level-headed manner and willingness to listen to opposing views. His radio show was syndicated in 1994, and he branched out to television as a morning show host the following year, before ending both programs in 1999.

Pence revived his political career by running for Congress again in 2000, this time winning a seat. Describing himself as "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order," he quickly demonstrated that he wasn't afraid to buck party lines. He opposed President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind policy in 2001, as well as the Medicare prescription drug expansion the following year. While his positions rankled party elders, they bolstered his reputation as a man of strong convictions, and he easily won reelection five times.

Climbing the ranks of Republican leadership, Pence was named head of the Republican Study Committee in 2005. He was unsuccessful in his bid to become minority leader in 2006, losing to Ohio's John Boehner, but two years later he was unanimously elected to the powerful position of Republican conference chairman.

A staunch fiscal conservative, Pence insisted on cuts to the federal budget before supporting funding for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in 2005, and was among the leading opponents of the federal bailout in 2008. He also drew attention for his social views, notably supporting a plan to shut down the government over a fight to defund Planned Parenthood in 2011.

In 2011, Pence announced his intention to run for governor of Indiana the following year. Despite strong name recognition and a platform focused on tax cuts and job growth, he became embroiled in a heated race with Democrat John Gregg, eventually pulling out a close win with just under 50 percent of the vote.

After he became governor, Pence had his congressional papers, which are housed at Indiana University in Bloomington, sealed. According to the donor agreement, the public is forbidden from seeing his papers from the 12 years he served in Congress until either December 5, 2022, or the death of the donor, whichever is later.

In 2013, Pence sealed the deal on a $1.1 billion give-back, the largest tax cut in state history. He also signed into law the state's first pre-K funding program and steered funds toward infrastructure improvements. By 2016, Indiana was enjoying a $2-billion budget surplus and a pristine triple-A credit rating, though critics pointed out that the state's wages were below national average.

Pence found himself in the national spotlight and on shaky ground after signing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in March 2015. Intending to protect business owners who didn't want to participate in same-sex weddings, Pence instead encountered resistance from moderate members of his party and corporations that threatened to pull out of the state, and he was forced to alter the bill to provide exemptions for LGBTQ communities. Similarly, he came under fire in the spring of 2016 for signing a bill to prohibit abortions when the fetus has a disability.

Shortly after announcing his intention to run for a second term as governor, Pence returned to the national spotlight when he surfaced as the vice presidential candidate for likely 2016 Republican nominee Donald Trump. Although Pence had opposed some of Trump's views, he was believed to be a good running mate for the New York business mogul due to his ties to congressional leaders and strong support among conservatives. (Pence had originally endorsed Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz during the primaries.)

On July 15, 2016, Trump officially announced that Pence was his choice for vice presidential nominee via Twitter.

At a press conference a day later, Trump called Pence a man of honor, character and honesty.

If you look at one of the big reasons that I chose Mike and, one of the reasons is party unity, I have to be honest, Trump said. So many people have said, party unity. Because Im an outsider. I dont want to be an outsider.

On July 20, 2016, Pence accepted his partys vice presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. He followed Cruz, who was booed off the stage for a speech in which he declined to endorse Trump. In his acceptance speech, Pence remained composed and spoke of his running mate Trump: You know, hes a man known for a larger personality, a colorful style and lots of charisma. And so, I guess he was just looking for some balance on the ticket.

"Donald Trump gets it. He's the genuine article. He's a doer in a game usually reserved for talkers," the vice presidential nominee continued. "And when Donald Trump does his talking, he doesn't tiptoe around the thousand new rules of political correctness. He's his own man, distinctly American. Where else would an independent spirit like his find a following than in the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

On November 8, 2016, Pence was elected vice president of the United States when Donald Trump won the presidential race, defeating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The stunning Trump-Pence victory was considered a resounding rejection of establishment politics by blue-collar and working-class Americans.

In the early hours of the morning after the race had been called in Trump's favor, Pence spoke at the campaign's victory party at the Hilton Hotel in New York City. "This is a historic night. This is a historic time," Pence said to the crowd of supporters. "The American people have spoken and the American people have elected their new champion."

On November 11, Trump named Pence to be the head of his transition team, replacing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Pence's office also said he would continue to serve as Indiana governor until his term ended on January 9, 2017.

Back in his home state, Pence found himself in a legal battle to try to conceal the contents of an email sent to him by a political ally. The email was connected with Pences decision to have Indiana join other states in suing to block President Barack Obamas executive actions on immigration. Bill Groth, a Democratic lawyer, sought to have the contents of an attachment to the email made public in an appeal of an earlier court decision in which the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that it was "not for the court to decide" whether to release the emails. Pences defense team countered that the contents of the email were protected from being released under the states Access to Public Records Act.

On January 20, 2017, Pence was sworn in on the steps in front of the U.S. Capitol by Supreme Court Justice of the United States Clarence Thomas. Pence took the oath of office before Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States.

A week after the inauguration, the vice president spoke at the March for Life anti-abortion rally in Washington, D.C. Be assured, we will not grow weary, Pence told activists before the march. We will not rest until we restore a culture of life for ourselves and our posterity."

Vice President Pence also highlighted the Trump administration's support of the movement. "This administration will work with Congress to end taxpayer funding of abortion and abortion providers," he said. "And we will devote those resources to health-care services for women across America.

In the first weeks of the Trump administration, Pence defended the controversial rollout of President Trump's executive order to ban immigrants from the predominantly Muslim countries of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen for at least 90 days, temporarily suspend the entry of refugees for 120 days and bar Syrian refugees indefinitely. In an interview on Fox News Sunday, the vice president said: "We are going to win the arguments because were going to take the steps necessary to protect the country, which the president of the United States has the authority to do."

President Trump also put Pence in charge of a commission to investigate alleged voter fraud in the presidential election. The president, who won the electoral college, but lost the popular vote by nearly 3 million to Clinton, claimed that 3 to 5 million people had illegally voted in the election. Bipartisan politicians including Paul Ryan refuted the claim: Ive seen no evidence to that effect, Ryan told reporters. Ive made that very, very clear.

At the very center of our democracy is the integrity of the vote the one person, one vote principle, Pence said in an interview with Fox News. And itll be my honor to lead that commission on behalf of the president and to look into that and give the American people the facts.

The vice president also played an important role in the confirmation of Betsy DeVos, President Trump's nominee for education secretary. Amid protests from Democratic critics and teachers unions that DeVos, a billionaire charter school supporter with no public school experience, was unqualified for the position, the Senate deadlocked in a 50-50 tie. Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined their Democratic colleagues in voting against DeVos. On February 7, 2017, Vice President Pence cast the historic tie-breaking vote to confirm her, the first time a vice president has been called on to break a tie in a cabinet nomination.

A week later, it was revealed that another Trump appointee, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, had misled Vice President Pence about his conversations with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, prior to the inauguration.

According to The Washington Post, Flynn privately discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that countrys ambassador to the United States during the month before President Trump took office, contrary to public assertions by Trump officials. Vice President Pence had appeared on CBS News Face the Nation stating that Flynn had told him that he and Kislyak did not discuss anything having to do with the United States decision to expel diplomats or impose censure against Russia."

Flynn resigned on February 13, 2017, after less than one month on the job, and in his letter of resignation he wrote: Unfortunately, because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the vice president-elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador. I have sincerely apologized to the president and the vice president, and they have accepted my apology.

Weeks later, reports circulated that Pence's personal website had been hacked, due to the bizarre content being featured. It turned out that viewers were confused by a parody site attributed to the VP, created by Funny or Die.

Unlike President Trump, Pence was said to have fostered strong relationships with the men who preceded him in the executive branch. In November 2017, a news story revealed that Pence conversed with Obama's VP, Joe Biden, at least once per month, and also met with Bush's former second-in-command, Dick Cheney. Their discussions were said to involve the exchange of ideas and advice, with the former VPs relaying valuable lessons learned during their administrations.

In late December, Pence made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan to demonstrate American commitment to stability in the region, more than 16 years after war broke out. Weve been on a long road together, but President Trump made it clear earlier this year that we are with you, Pence told Afghan officials, adding, we are here to see this through.

In January 2018, weeks after President Trump raised an outcry by announcing his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Pence visited the region. Much of his trip focused on working with U.S. partners to counter terrorism and helping Christian minorities in the Middle East, though he also attempted to smooth over things with Arab leaders. That aspect didn't work out as well, as Pence and King Abdullah II of Jordan publicly "agreed to disagree" over the decision to recognize Jerusalem, while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas refused to even meet with the American vice president.

Weeks later, Pence became a central figure in the politics surrounding the Winter Olympics, held in PyeongChang, South Korea. First, his selection as head of the U.S. delegation was criticized by openly gay men's figure skater Adam Rippon, who cited Pence's alleged animosity toward the LGBTQ community. Rippon also reportedly rejected Pence's overtures to meet, though the VP's office denied having extended an invitation.

In February, before the start of the Games, Pence delivered a tough message to North Korea with the announcement that more sanctions were forthcoming. Toward the end of the Games, The Washington Post reported that Pence had planned to secretly meet with a high-level delegation of North Korean leaders, before they canceled at the last minute. The attempted meeting contrasted with the administration's public stance that there would be no dialogue until North Korea first agreed to abandon its nuclear program.

Returning stateside, the vice president generated more controversy with his comments at a luncheon hosted by the anti-abortion organization Susan B. Anthony List & Life Institute in late February. "I just know in my heart of hearts that this will be the generation that restores life in America," he said, adding, "If all of us do all we can, we can once again, in our time, restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law."

In August 2018, Pence delivered a speech at the Pentagon in which he outlined the administration's plans to create a sixth branch of the U.S. military, the "Space Force." Declaring, "We must have American dominance in space, and so we will," he noted that President Trump would request $8 billion over the next five years to support military operations in that arena.

While such military expansion would require congressional approval, the Department of Defense attempted to kick-start the process by identifying several steps to take in the meantime, including establishing civilian oversight for the Space Force and creating a United States Space Command. Critics countered by calling it unnecessary, expensive and likely to cause bureaucratic problems.

The following year, Pence was dragged into the House impeachment inquiry of President Trump after The Washington Post reported that the vice president was involved in efforts to pressure Ukraine into investigating 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Around that time, Pence and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Ankara, Turkey, where they successfully brokered an arrangement with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to allow the safe passage of Kurdish forces from an area in northeastern Syria under fire from a Turkish military operation.

On February 26, 2020, President Trump announced that Vice President Pence would lead the administration's response to the coronavirus, which originated in China and was spreading around the world.

Citing his experience with the emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) as Indiana governor, Pence stressed the importance of partnerships between state and local governments and health authorities when responding to infectious diseases, and said he would determine the "best options for action to see to the safety and well being and health of the American people."

While his regularly scheduled press briefings were soon dominated by the presence of Trump, Pence focused on delivering measured versions of the president's fluctuating pronouncements, coordinating efforts with governors and addressing matters of supply shortages. On Monday, March 9, he announced that testing capabilities had increased to the point where 5 million tests would be distributed by the end of the week.

With the administration looking to find ways to reopen businesses and schools by April, the vice president raised eyebrows by visiting the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota without a face mask late in the month, saying he wanted to be able to look workers in the eye and thank them without being obstructed.

On October 2, 2020, President Trump revealed that he and wife Melania had both tested positive for COVID-19. Pence and wife Karen were also tested, but their results came back negative.

At the vice presidential debate on October 7, 2020, Pence faced tough questioning from moderator Susan Page and attacks from opponent Kamala Harris over the White House's response to the coronavirus pandemic that had already killed more than 210,000 Americans. The vice president defended the administration's efforts, pointing to Trump's early decision to suspend travel from China, and promised that a vaccine would be ready in record time. He also argued that the Trump White House was better equipped to support Americans at home and abroad, over the environmental policies proposed by the Biden-Harris team, saying they will derail the economy.

Although Pence expressed confidence in a reelection victory, the days-long effort to count the ballots brought increasingly grim news for the incumbents, until Biden was declared as the president-elect on November 7, 2020. While Trump raged against the "illegal" voting and launched a flurry of lawsuits to challenge the results, Pence offered a more grounded perspective of the proceedings, urging supporters to "remain vigilant" as the litigation played out.

On December 14, 2020, all 538 electors in the Electoral College cast their vote, formalizing Bidens victory over President Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Biden received 306 votes and Trump received 232.

Trump continued to insist that he won the election, and he called on Pence, as president of the Senate, to reject the results of contested states when Congress convened to formalize the Electoral College vote on January 6, 2021. However, Pence publicly broke with Trump just before the start of the congressional meeting by issuing a letter which read: "It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not."

That afternoon, after the president held a rally in which he criticized his vice president and the "weak Republicans" who refused to join his cause, Pence was among the lawmakers who were whisked to safety when an unruly mob broke into the Capitol and clashed with police, resulting in four deaths and the declaration of a public emergency by Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser.

"To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win," the vice president said when order was restored, and he went on to formally declare Biden's victory just after 3:40 a.m. on January 7.

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Mike Pence - Age, Family & Facts - Biography

Pence speaking in November 2022

Former US Vice-President Mike Pence has been issued with a legal summons to testify in a criminal investigation of former President Donald Trump.

The subpoena is reportedly linked to Mr Trump's bid to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith is also investigating Mr Trump's handling of classified files.

The subpoena piles pressure on Mr Pence as he considers a potential White House run against Mr Trump in 2024.

Failure to comply with such a summons could lead to serious legal consequences.

Sources told US media that the order was related to Mr Trump's efforts to quash the election result and the riot by his supporters at Capitol Hill on 6 January 2021.

The special counsel is also leading a parallel inquiry into whether Mr Trump mishandled classified documents that were found in a search of his Florida home.

Neither Mr Pence nor the Department of Justice confirmed that a subpoena had been issued.

The move marks a milestone in the two-year investigation, which was taken over by the special counsel in November.

Mr Trump publicly pressured his vice-president to attempt to block the transfer of power.

His refusal led Mr Trump to lash out at him, and saw Trump supporters chant "hang Mike Pence" as they stormed Congress during the riot.

The former vice-president is reportedly considering launching a White House bid in 2024. Mr Trump has already started his campaign.

Mr Pence, a former Indiana governor, had previously resisted testifying to the Democratic-led House of Representatives committee investigating the Capitol riot. That panel has since disbanded.

The latest move by the justice department could set up a fight over executive privilege - the legal doctrine that shields some presidential communications.

It is unclear if investigators will also seek to question Mr Pence about confidential files.

Story continues

In January, aides to Mr Pence told US officials they had found classified documents at the former vice-president's home.

The search was conducted after similar documents were discovered at President Joe Biden's home in Delaware and at an office he used in Washington. Another special counsel, Robert Hur, is investigating the Biden files.

Marc Short, the former chief of staff to Mr Pence, told CNN on Wednesday that the FBI was expected to search the ex-vice-president's house for any additional documents "not too far off into the future".

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Mike Pence summoned to testify in criminal probe of Trump