前副总统迈克·彭斯周日表示他不打算在前总统唐纳德·特朗普的审判中作证特朗普试图推翻2020年的选举结果，但彭斯没有关闭这种可能性的大门。
“我不打算作证。但是，你看，我们将永远遵守法律，”彭斯在美国有线电视新闻网的“国情咨文”中说，在新罕布什尔州的预先录制的外观。
他提到之前在联邦大陪审团前作证调查1月6日，暗示他会再次作证，如果他是被迫的。
“在我们得到法院关于我作为参议院主席根据宪法享有的保护的澄清后，我根据传票在大陪审团面前作证，”他说。
便士，现在与特朗普竞选对于2024年共和党总统候选人提名，已经成为特朗普未来审判的潜在关键证人特朗普上周被起诉后对他试图扭转2020年的失败并继续掌权的四项指控。
特朗普被指控阴谋欺诈美国、阴谋阻挠官方诉讼、阻挠和企图阻挠官方诉讼以及阴谋侵犯权利。
在周四的传讯中认罪后，他对记者声称，联邦政府“这是对政治对手的迫害”，检察官否认了这一点。
特别顾问杰克·史密斯在起诉书中称，作为特朗普指控的一部分，有人协同施压，要求彭斯在2021年1月6日拒绝选举人团的结果，并将结果发回州立法机构——彭斯多次指出他无权这么做。
“坦率地说，在1月6日的前一天，如果我没记错的话，他们回来了，(特朗普的)律师回来了，他们说，‘我们希望你彻底拒绝投票。’他们要求我推翻选举。我无权推翻选举，”彭斯周日表示。
他将大部分责任归咎于特朗普的律师，并表示他不知道特朗普的真实意图。
2023年8月2日，共和党总统候选人、前副总统迈克·彭斯在印第安纳波利斯的印第安纳州博览会上接受媒体采访。
达隆·卡明斯/美联社
川普律师约翰·劳罗周日在美国广播公司的“本周”节目中争论道“政府永远无法证明特朗普总统有腐败或犯罪意图。”
彭斯在CNN上说:“我不知道他心里是什么。我不知道他的意图是什么，但我知道他和他的律师要求我做什么。”
在周日播出的哥伦比亚广播公司(CBS)“面对国家”(Face the Nation)的一段预先录制的采访中，彭斯再次拒绝对特朗普的精神状态发表评论。
他说:“在我看来，在那段时间里，总统和我们所有人一样，都有意对已经发生的投票违规行为进行调查。”。(没有法院或选举官员证实2020年竞选期间存在任何重大的投票欺诈或不当行为。)
然而，彭斯确实表示，特朗普被错误地告知，彭斯有能力在选举结束后拒绝一些选票。
“从[2020年]12月中旬的某个时候开始，总统开始被告知我有一些权力拒绝或将选票退回各州。我没有这样的权力。我袖手旁观的事实，因为他们发生了，”他在哥伦比亚广播公司说。“我的意思是，它在不同的法律理论之间潮起潮落，但最终我们履行了我们的职责，遵守了我们的誓言。”
正如他在美国有线电视新闻网(CNN)上所做的那样，彭斯在哥伦比亚广播公司(CBS)上表示，他不会反对被传唤作为特朗普审判的证人。他说:“我们将遵守法律，如果有法律的召唤，我们会做出回应，我们只会说出真相。”。
在美国有线电视新闻网(CNN)和哥伦比亚广播公司(CBS)上，彭斯不排除在2024年投票给特朗普，但他说，“我不认为我必须这样做。”
Pence: 'No plans to testify' at Trump's Jan. 6 trial but would 'comply with the law'
Former Vice President Mike Pence said Sundayhe doesn't intend to testify in former President Donald Trump's trialover Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results -- but Pence didn't close the door on such a possibility.
"I have no plans to testify. But, look, we'll always comply with the law," Pence said on CNN's "State of the Union," in a pre-taped appearance from New Hampshire.
He referenced havingpreviously testified before the federal grand juryinvestigating Jan. 6, suggesting he would testify again if he was compelled.
"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," he said.
Pence,now running against Trumpfor the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has emerged as a potential key witness at Trump's future trialafter Trump was indicted last weekon four charges over his efforts to reverse his 2020 loss and remain in power.
Trump is accused of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.
After pleading not guilty at his arraignment on Thursday, he claimed to reporters that "this is a persecution of a political opponent" by the federal government, which prosecutors deny.
Special counsel Jack Smith's indictment alleges, as part of Trump's charges, a concerted pressure campaign to have Pence reject the Electoral College results on Jan. 6, 2021, and send the results back to state legislatures -- something Pence has repeatedly pointed out he had no right to do.
"Frankly, the day before Jan. 6, if memory serves, they came back, [Trump's] lawyers did, and said, 'We want you to reject votes outright.' They were asking me to overturn the election. I had no right to overturn the election," Pence said Sunday.
He laid most of the blame at the feet of Trump's attorneys and said that he does not know Trump's true intentions.
Trump lawyer John Lauroargued on ABC's "This Week" on Sundaythat "the government will never be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump had corrupt or criminal intent."
Pence said on CNN: "I don't know what was in his heart. I don't know what his intentions were, but I do know what he and his lawyers asked me to do."
In a pre-taped interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" that also aired on Sunday, Pence again declined to comment on Trump's state of mind.
"It seemed to me through all that period of time, the president was intent, as we all were, in getting to the bottom of voting irregularities that had taken place," he said. (No court or election official has confirmed voting fraud or misconduct in any substantial amount during the 2020 race.)
However, Pence did say that Trump was being falsely advised that Pence had an ability to reject some votes after the election was over.
"From some time in the middle of December [2020], the president began to be told I had some authority to reject or return votes back to the states. I had no such authority. I stand by the facts as they occurred," he said on CBS. "I mean, it ebbed and flowed between different legal theories, but at the end of the day we did our duty and kept our oath."
As he did on CNN, Pence indicated on CBS that he wouldn't fight being called as a witness at Trump's trial. "We'll obey the law and respond to the call of the law if it comes, and we'll just tell the truth," he said.
On both CNN and CBS, Pence would not rule out voting for Trump in 2024 but said, "I don't think I'll have to."
