Pence says he'd consider testifying to House January 6 committee

Former Vice President Pence said Wednesday that he would consider an invitation to appear before the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Pence spoke at a "Politics and Eggs" event hosted by Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, a stop many presidential hopefuls make during campaign season.

When asked if he would be agreeable to appearing before the select committee, Pence said "if there was an invitation to participate, I would consider it."

Pence added that it was unprecedented for a vice president to testify on Capitol Hill — though there is precedent for a sitting vice president, as well as several former presidents, appearing before House and Senate committees.

"Any invitation directed to me, I would have to reflect on the unique role I was serving in as vice president. It would be unprecedented in history for the vice president to be summoned to testify on Capitol Hill," Pence said. "But as I said, I don't want to pre-judge. So if any formal invitation was rendered to us, we'd give it due consideration."

The Jan. 6 committee did not comment on Pence's remarks.

Pence and members of his team were featured consistently throughout the committee's hearings that took place over the summer. The committee hearings revealed that the threats against Pence's life on January 6 were chilling — and that the insurrectionists got within 40 feet of Pence as he was being moved by his team to safety.

The committee labeled former President Trump's efforts to get Pence to overturn the election results as "unlawful" and "illegal," though Pence did not give in to Trump's demands.

The former vice president spoke about his stance on Trump trying to overturn the election at an event in February.

"There is almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president," Pence said at the time. [Copyright 2022 NPR]