Former Pence chief of staff cooperating with January 6 Committee as probe gains 'momentum': report
On Monday's edition of CNN's "The Situation Room," correspondent Jamie Gangel broke down the significance of former Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff Marc Short cooperating with the House January 6 Committee.
"We learned the committee subpoenaed Marc Short a few weeks ago, but unlike some other Trump officials, he is not fighting the subpoena," said Gangel. "Short's cooperation ... is a significant development because he is a firsthand witness to many critical events. He was with Mike Pence at the Capitol on January 6th. He was also in the Oval Office on January 4th when former President Trump tried to convince Pence not to certify the election results."
She then suggested that Short's cooperation could open the door to more Pence loyalists testifying at the committee.
"Our sources say that Short's assistance signals a greater openness among Pence's inner circle, with one source telling me the committee is getting, quote, 'significant cooperation with Team Pence,' and another source telling me that Short's help is an example of the momentum the investigation is having behind the scenes," continued Gangel. "I do think it's important for context to remember this: Short is considered one of Pence's most loyal aides. He has worked with him off and on for more than a decade. It is hard to imagine that Marc Short would cooperate with the committee without Pence's blessing."
"That's really an important point, Jamie," said anchor Wolf Blitzer. "Why is Short's cooperation as a result so, so significant?"
"We've heard a lot about Trump officials, allies of Trump claiming executive privilege or saying they'll take the fifth," said Gangel. "This marks a significant break for the committee, because Marc Short is a firsthand witness and he's willing to cooperate, according to our sources. He knows firsthand what was going on in the days leading up to January 6th. He knows what happened at the Capitol on January 6th. It's hard not to imagine that Marc Short, who was then chief of staff to Mike Pence, he's there in the Capitol, was not calling or texting someone like Mark Meadows ,who was chief of staff to Donald Trump, when the riot was going on."
"He is likely to be able to provide information about conversations, phone calls, texts that were going on in real time on January 6," added Gangel. "Just as one example, he may be able to tell the committee what the communication was when they were reaching out, trying to find out why did it take so long for Trump to come out and tell the rioters to stop."
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