Jan. 6 Committee Seeks Information From Several Members Of Pence’s Inner Circle

The House select committee investigating the events of Jan. 6 is looking into gathering information from at least five people close to former Vice President Mike Pence, according to CNN.

The committee reportedly subpoenaed Keith Kellogg, who served as national security adviser, on Tuesday. Kellogg accompanied former President Trump for most of Jan. 6 as the then-President’s supporters breached the Capitol on the day of the joint session of Congress certifying Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

According to CNN, some individuals within Pence’s inner circle may be open — whether voluntarily or through a “friendly subpoena” — to offer critical information detailing Trump and his allies’ efforts to pressure the then-VP to overturn the 2020 election results.

Some Pence aides have reportedly shown that they are more willing to engage with the panel than previously known.

Last week, Jan. 6 committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) confirmed to CNN that the panel has been reaching out to members of Pence’s inner circle, who had a mixed reaction to the effort.

“Well, yes and no,” Thompson told CNN when asked if Pence associates had been cooperative. “I don’t want to just say yes, when there have been some people who clearly have said no. So we’ve had, you know, people on both sides.”

Thompson declined to disclose the names of any of the Pence aides that the committee has contacted or been in discussions with.

However, the list reportedly consists of Pence’s former chief counsel Greg Jacob and former chief of staff Marc Short, according to CNN.

Additionally, a source with knowledge told CNN that Pence’s former chief of staff Nick Ayers, former legislative affairs director Chris Hodgson, political adviser Marty Obst, and former special assistant Zach Bauer are also of potential interest to the committee.

CNN also noted that Alyssa Farah,  former Pence press secretary and Trump communications aide Alyssa Farah who left the administration a month before Trump left office, has voluntarily met with Republicans on the committee — Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) — and provided information.

Obst denied to CNN in an email that he had any contact with the committee nor that any of its members reached out to him.

CNN’s report comes a day after a federal judge barred Trump from blocking the Jan. 6 committee from accessing executive branch records created during his administration. Trump had already signaled his intention to appeal the ruling in a filing this week, requesting permission to do so before the judge reached a decision on the matter.