Pence acknowledges testifying before Jan. 6 grand jury once he got clarity on 'protections'

Former Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged on Sunday that he testified before the federal grand jury that ultimately brought an indictment against former President Trump charging him with efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Pence said he testified once he got "clarification" about the protections he had under the Constitution in his role as president of the Senate on Jan. 6, 2021 as Congress was conducting its official count of Electoral College votes.

Pence told Dana Bash on CNN's "State of the Union" that he testified after he was told of his protections under the Constitution, but he added that he has no plans to testify during Trump’s actual trial. 

“Well, I testified before the grand jury under a subpoena after we got clarification from the court about protections that I have under the Constitution as the president of the Senate. But I have no plans to testify,” Pence said.

“But, look, we'll always comply with the law,” he added.

Pence’s involvement and interactions with Trump leading up to Jan 6 formed a significant section of the indictment that was unveiled last week against Trump, charging him with crimes related to his attempts to stay in power after the 2020 election.

Pence and Trump are both running for president in 2024. Since the indictment was unveiled, Pence has been increasingly outspoken against Trump and in defense of his own actions to resist Trump’s pressure to cooperate with his plan to stay in power.