Appeals court denies Trump's bid to block Pence from testifying

WASHINGTON

A US federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected former President Donald Trump's attempt to prevent former Vice President Mike Pence from testifying before a federal grand jury that is investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to reports.

The latest order from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals comes after Trump's legal team filed an emergency motion to block a lower court’s decision directing Pence to testify.

The order, which remains sealed, opens the way for Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith, the special counsel probing the Jan. 6 US Capitol attack, to enforce the subpoena for Pence to appear before a grand jury, several US media outlets reported.

Neither Trump nor Pence immediately commented on the reports, while some media outlets cited aides of the former president who previously indicated he would follow the orders of the court.

Trump has yet to indicate that he will appeal the issue at the Supreme Court.

In February, Smith issued a subpoena to Pence to testify in an ongoing probe into potential federal crimes related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Both Pence and Trump challenged the subpoena on separate legal grounds.

The former president reportedly pressured Pence to use his role in overseeing the certification of the electoral results to delay or block the certification of Trump's defeat in the 2020 election. Pence's decision to go against aiding Trump's efforts led to tension between the two, with the former vice president speaking publicly about refusing Trump's demands.

If Pence follows the order of the court, he would be the highest-ranking former Trump administration official to appear before the grand jury in Smith’s probe.