Marc Short, former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, has answered questions from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to two sources familiar with the deposition told ABC News.
According to sources, Short testified last week. CNN broke the news first.
Short has worked as a Pence aide in multiple roles since the former vice president was a member of Congress. Short was subpoenaed by the committee in December for his cooperation with the investigation.
BREAKING: Pence Chief of Staff Marc Short is cooperating with the 1/6 committee. More to come. I'm especially interested in whether he tells the committee about my scoop that Pence's staff had their badges deactivated the morning of the insurrection.
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) December 6, 2021
Short, who was with Pence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, attended a “critical” White House meeting on January 4, 2021, and is seen as a potentially crucial witness in the committee’s investigation as the panel pieces together the pressure campaign waged by Donald Trump and his allies to try to convince Pence not to certify the presidential election.
RAP Dir. @OliviaTroye discusses what questions she would like to see the Jan. 6 committee ask former Pence chief of staff Marc Short:
— Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) December 7, 2021
“What were the conversations between the Oval and the vice president's office in the days leading up to Jan. 6? What was the dynamic?" pic.twitter.com/baPZiN9ng2
Short’s decision to cooperate with the House Select Committee, rather than fight the subpoena issued to him, is the latest reminder that the public is still unaware that several key players close to Trump are quietly cooperating with the January 6th investigation.
New via CNN: Former VP Pence chief of staff Marc Short testified before the Jan. 6 select committee in-person last Wednesday pursuant to a subpoena
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) January 31, 2022
Trump has repeatedly attempted to discredit the Committee’s work, urging his allies and aides not to comply. While some have fulfilled his personal demands, others have chosen to avoid the same consequences as Steve Bannon, who is free on bond while facing contempt of Congress charges in July.
"I think it's important to remind people Marc Short is a firsthand fact witness,"@jamiegangel on exclusive new reporting about key January 6 testimony from the chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence. pic.twitter.com/4DrmvQ6p8Y
— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) February 1, 2022
According to public disclosures and lawsuits filed by witnesses, the select committee has interviewed more than 350 witnesses, received more than 300 substantive tips, and issued more than 50 subpoenas for phone and email records, Trump administration documents, witness testimony, and bank records in the six months since its formation.
Jan 6 Committee Chair @BennieGThompson on next steps for the committee, after receiving 700+ pages of Trump White House documents: “We’ll see if that information leads us to additional individuals to make requests.” pic.twitter.com/r2YP5cfgeo
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 23, 2022
Trump was still blaming Pence as recently as this weekend, including in a written statement in which he admitted bluntly that he had been attempting to use Pence to overturn the election result. Trump blasted Pence, saying, “He could have overturned the election!”
As they walked through the halls of the Capitol, Trump supporters famously chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!” Pence and his staff were mysteriously locked out of their offices despite having security badges that worked that morning and were forced to hide on a loading dock for a time during the riot.