What Happens if Mike Pence Testifies Against Donald Trump in the J6 Hearings? Things Could Change
This week has been a constant onslaught of bad news for the team of former President Donald Trump. Whether it's
Ellie Mason
This week has been a constant onslaught of bad news for the team of former President Donald Trump.
Whether it's the fallout from the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago seizing classified documents or the news that a former Trump Organization CFO may be throwing the company under the bus, it's just been a tough week in Trump land. But one piece of news may be head and shoulders above the rest: former Vice President Mike Pence is willing to consider testifying before the House's January 6 panel. Here's what that could mean for Trump and the Republican party.
See: DeSantis is My Guy: Donald Trump Loses Another Ally to J6 Hearings and Mar-a-Lago Raid as Alex Jones Jumps Ship
If Mike Pence Agrees to Testify Against Donald Trump, the Political Landscape Could Shift
It's no secret that things are tense between Trump and his former VP.
The former running mates went out on more than a sour note after the January 6 riots, where Trump supporters were heard chanting, "Hang Mike Pence!" and Trump opted not to intervene, seeming to even feel as though his Vice President deserved it for refusing not to certify electors in Congress.
And now, that tension could come back to bite Trump as reports have surfaced that Pence is willing to consider testifying before the J6 committee.
What Pence could share about what happened that day – and perhaps more importantly, what didn't happen – could change the entire landscape after the hearings.
It could also tear the Republican party into two. It's no secret that Trump is significantly more popular than Pence. But that doesn't mean that there aren't enough Conservative Republicans who would be horrified by what Pence could reveal that it wouldn't be devastating to the party's cohesion.
Washington Examiner reports, "Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), the ranking member of the House Administration Committee, remains critical of the select committee’s handling of its investigation but argued that Pence could offer key information pertaining to security failures that led to the breach that hasn’t been detailed by other witnesses thus far.
'It would be the big whale when it comes to who can testify. Time will tell if that actually happens, but as somebody who has been very critical of the select committee, and the fact that they have not asked the questions that I would have asked about why the security apparatus failed that day — they failed all of us that were in the Capitol, everybody around the Capitol, and also Vice President Pence. In my opinion, they need to make sure that those officers are never put in that position again,' Davis said.
'And in the end, I think, Vice President Pence's testimony, if he decides to do it, would be very riveting because I witnessed similar instances in the House side, and to be able to come back as we did together and … finish our job, that was something that I'll never forget. And Mike Pence is one of the most courageous people I've ever met in my life,' he continued.
'It would be riveting to hear what he and his family were dealing with at the time. But in the end, I still have a problem with the select committee being so partisan and so focused on just President Trump,' he added."
Pence could shift people on the fence about the severity of the January 6 riots, and that could change everything going into the 2024 presidential race.
Republicans in Congress are watching Pence nervously over the next few weeks. Less popular than Trump he may be, Pence still holds sway among traditional Republicans, and what he could reveal – and any evidence he may provide to backup his statements – could be a game-changer. Pence has refused to tow the MAGA line and is a by-the-books politician, so what he has to say would carry great weight.
See: 'The People Have Spoken': Donald Trump Crows Over Cheney Loss but One Key Witness May Drop a Bombshell on J6 Committee
Trump Organization Facing Uncertain Future After Former CFO Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud
Unfortunately for Trump, a flip from Mike Pence isn't the only big concern on his plate.
Even if you could brush aside the J6 panel and the Mar-a-Lago raid and underlying investigations, there's still the fact that former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg just pled guilty to tax fraud.
His plea bargain includes testifying in court, and it could be bad news for Trump who maintains that his organization was all legal and above-board.
But with 15 felonies under his belt now, Weisselberg has significant reason to want to make the court happy and work with them – which could mean damning information about those at the top in the Trump Organization.