Mike Pence reverses course, spurns Jan. 6 committee questions - MSNBC

Exactly 3 months agone today, erstwhile Vice President Mike Pence appeared successful New Hampshire and said he’d consider testifying earlier the Jan. 6 committee. This week, the Republican sat down with CBS News and said the opposite.

Pence besides said helium is “closing the door” connected testifying earlier the House prime committee investigating the Jan. 6 onslaught connected the Capitol. ... “The Congress has nary close to my testimony,” Pence said. “We person a separation of powers nether the Constitution of the United States, and I judge it sets a unspeakable precedent for the Congress to summon a vice president of the United States to talk astir deliberations that took spot astatine the White House.”

In the aforesaid interview, the Hoosier criticized Congress for not creating a non-partisan panel, “in the tone of the 9/11 Commission,” to analyse what transpired.

It’s hard to adjacent cognize wherever to commencement with specified a position, but fixed the value of the contented — we are, aft all, talking astir an battle connected our ideology that enactment Pence’s beingness successful information — it’s worthy appreciating successful item conscionable however incorrect helium is.

“The Congress has nary close to my testimony.” The phrasing is curious. The House prime committee was created done the legislature legislative process, and approved done due channels. This, successful turn, gave it some authoritative legitimacy and subpoena power, which has been endorsed by aggregate national courts. It has each close to expect the practice of witnesses who tin shed airy connected the events surrounding the insurrectionist violence.

“We person a separation of powers nether the Constitution of the United States.” That’s true, but what Pence neglected to notation is that helium doesn’t person immoderate powers. The erstwhile vice president is simply a backstage national with nary much authoritative authorization than immoderate different backstage citizen.

“I judge it sets a unspeakable precedent.” First, there’s ample precedent for law officers from the enforcement subdivision testifying earlier Congress. Second, it besides acceptable “a unspeakable precedent” erstwhile Donald Trump tried to overturn the results of an predetermination and deployed radicalized followers to onslaught our spot of government.

The Jan. 6 sheet should’ve mirrored “the tone of the 9/11 Commission.” Maybe so. In fact, legislature Democratic leaders endorsed conscionable specified a program past year. Pence whitethorn beryllium amazed to larn that it was his Republican allies who rejected this approach, adjacent aft Democrats agreed to the GOP’s demands.

This request not beryllium complicated. The erstwhile vice president has a critically important position astir 1 of the astir important events successful American history. He’s been consenting to stock his thoughts connected the substance successful nationalist appearances, successful media interviews, successful published op-eds, and adjacent successful his book.

But Pence is nevertheless refusing to talk to a bipartisan House sheet that would payment from his answers — and his mentation to warrant specified cowardice simply doesn’t marque immoderate sense.