By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic U.S. lawmaker Jamie Raskin, a member of the Home of Representatives panel probing the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, mentioned on Sunday he anticipated former Vice President Mike Pence to testify voluntarily earlier than the committee.

“I might hope he would come ahead and testify about what occurred,” Raskin mentioned on Pence’s potential testimony in an interview to CBS Information.

“In nobody’s case is a subpoena out of query, however I might assume he’s going to come back ahead and testify voluntarily,” he added when requested about whether or not the committee was more likely to concern a subpoena for Pence.

Pence has mentioned he thinks former President Donald Trump was flawed to consider the previous vice chairman had the facility to reverse the end result of the 2020 election. The election outcomes had been being licensed by Pence and lawmakers when the Capitol was attacked by supporters of Trump, a Republican, after weeks of false claims by the previous president that he had received the vote.

Pence mentioned in August that he would contemplate testifying earlier than the committee if requested however added later that he additionally thought-about the Jan. 6 committee to have “a partisan taint.”

The panel held eight hearings over six weeks, which wrapped up in July and featured hours of testimony from shut Trump allies and former White Home workers.

The hearings had been meant to put out a case that Trump violated the legislation as he tried to cease the peaceable switch of energy from one president to the subsequent. The panel has mentioned it plans to push its investigation additional within the coming weeks.

Raskin added that Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the spouse of Supreme Courtroom Justice Clarence Thomas, must also testify.

The justice’s spouse is lively in conservative political circles and has mentioned she attended a rally by Trump exterior the White Home earlier than his supporters marched on the Capitol to attempt to block certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election win.

The Washington Put up had reported earlier that the Jan. 6 committee obtained emails between Ginni Thomas and legal professional John Eastman, who had suggested Trump that Pence may thwart formal congressional certification of Trump’s loss. Her lawyer, Mark R. Paoletta, mentioned she had no function within the Jan. 6 assault and by no means mentioned election litigation technique with Eastman.

“I might say she has related testimony to render and she or he ought to come ahead and provides it”, Raskin mentioned on Sunday.

The Democratic lawmaker added he was “talking solely as one member” of the committee.

In June, Ginni Thomas expressed eagerness to talk with the panel however her lawyer later mentioned the committee ought to present a greater justification for why her testimony was related.