Marc Short, former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, is reportedly cooperating with the Jan. 6 select committee, according to CNN on Monday.
CNN reported that Short was subpoenaed by the committee a few weeks ago.
Short is amongst Pence’s closest advisers and could potentially offer insight into Pence’s whereabouts on the day of the deadly Capitol insurrection, including the then-VP’s interactions with former President Trump amid his demands for Pence to not certify Joe Biden’s electoral victory on Jan. 6.
Short accompanied Pence for most of Jan. 6, including after the VP was evacuated from the Senate chamber and moved to a safe location beneath the Capitol as Trump supporters breached the Capitol building amid the then-President’s refusal to concede. Some insurrectionists chanted “hang Mike Pence” as the VP defied Trump’s bogus claims of a “stolen” 2020 presidential election by proceeding with the certification of Biden’s electoral victory.
Short was also a firsthand witness to Trump and conservative attorney John Eastman’s attempts to pressure Pence into delaying the count of the Electoral College votes during a meeting in the Oval Office on Jan. 4. Trump reportedly told others that he banned Short from the White House after the Capitol insurrection because he was angry with Short’s role in Pence’s defiance of Trump.
A source told CNN that the committee is getting “significant cooperation with Team Pence.” Another source reportedly told CNN that Short’s cooperation exemplifies the “momentum” behind the committee’s investigation into the events of Jan. 6.
It’s unclear, however, whether Pence green lighted Short’s cooperation with the committee. Prior to serving as Pence’s chief of staff, Short worked as Trump’s legislative director for the first 18 months of his presidency.
Short’s reported cooperation comes a month after CNN previously reported that the committee is looking into gathering information from at least five people close to Pence.
Last month, CNN reported that the committee subpoenaed Keith Kellogg, who served as Pence’s national security adviser. Kellogg accompanied Trump for most of Jan. 6 as the then-President’s supporters breached the Capitol. Some individuals within Pence’s inner circle reportedly signaled that they may be open — whether voluntarily or through a “friendly subpoena” — to offering critical information detailing Trump and his allies’ efforts to pressure the then-VP to overturn the 2020 election results.
Committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) confirmed to CNN last month that the panel has been reaching out to members of Pence’s inner circle, who had a mixed reaction to the effort.
CNN reported at the time that the list of Pence aides that the committee has contacted or been in discussions with included Short and Pence’s former chief counsel Greg Jacob — who also pushed back against Eastman’s arguments centered around the Big Lie.
Additionally, 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 reportedly of potential interest to the committee.
