Marc Short, former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, appeared before a federal grand jury investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Mr. Short told ABC News on Monday that he was served a subpoena and appeared before the grand jury but cannot comment further. He is the highest-ranking official from the Trump White House known to have cooperated with the Justice Department’s probe.
Mr. Pence was on Capitol Hill during the Jan. 6 attack to certify the electoral votes and finalize President Biden’s win in the 2020 election. Pro-Trump supporters, some chanting “hang Mike Pence,” stormed the building while Mr. Pence was whisked to safety by Secret Service agents.
“I think that having the Capitol ransacked the way that it was, I think did present liability and danger,” Mr. Short told ABC in an interview. “And I think the Secret Service did a phenomenal job that day. I think that the bigger risk and despite the way perhaps it was characterized in the hearings last week, candidly, is that if the mob had gotten closer to the vice president, I do think there would have been a massacre in the Capitol that day.”
Mr. Pence’s former chief counsel, Greg Jacob, also testified before the grand jury.
The Justice Department is investigating the events of Jan. 6 while the House select committee gathers its own evidence and holds high-profile hearings.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has said he and his prosecutors are following the Jan. 6 hearings and will follow the facts wherever they lead.
Members of the Jan. 6 committee have ramped up pressure on Mr. Garland in recent days.
“I sure as hell hope they have a criminal investigation at this point into Donald Trump. I have no direct knowledge of the status of their investigations,” Rep. Elaine Luria, Virginia Democrat, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “Merrick Garland has already told us he’s listening and if he’s watching today, I’d tell him he doesn’t need to wait on us because I think he has plenty to keep moving forward.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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