On August 26, 2020, Vice President Mike Pence accepted his nomination for the Republican National Convention at Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland. After the event, Pence told reporters he would not testify for Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He said he would fight the subpoena to the Supreme Court, calling it “unconstitutional and unprecedented.”
Smith’s investigation is looking into former President Donald Trump’s involvement with the January 6 Capitol riots, classified documents found at Mar-A-Lago, and interference in the 2020 election. Pence has spoken out against Trump’s involvement in the riots, as protestors were heard outside the Capitol chanting, “hang Mike Pence.”
The former Vice President believes the Justice Department is overreaching in their attempts to hold lawmakers accountable for their engagement in the Capitol riots. He believes the Biden DOJ is creating a “two-tiered justice system” that Republicans have been dealing with since the new administration took office.
Pence is now advocating for a wave of anti-LGBT policies leading up to the 2024 presidential election, claiming parents’ rights are being “trampled” by the “politically correct nanny state.” His advocacy ignores warnings from experts that these measures could endanger LGBT-identifying students.
It remains to be seen whether Pence will follow through on his promise to fight the subpoena to the Supreme Court. Whatever the outcome, the former Vice President has made it clear that he will not cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation into the Capitol riots.