Special counsel Jack Smith was in the room for Mike Pence's grand jury testimony: CNN

Special counsel Jack Smith was in the room when Mike Pence testified before a federal grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, CNN reports.

The former Vice President testified for more than five hours last week, according to the report, which cites three sources with knowledge of the events.

Pence and Smith interacted at the courthouse in an exchange a source described as “respectful.”

Pence was expected to testify for the first time about direct conversations he had with Trump ahead of Jan. 6, when the former president reportedly pressured Pence to overturn the 2020 election results, including a private call on the morning of Jan. 6, the report said.

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Smith is leading the investigation into efforts to overturn the election.

His appearance, according to CNN “is the first known time the special counsel has attended a grand jury proceeding in the investigation.”

Pence’s testimony followed a federal judge’s ruling compelling the former vice president to describe conversations he had with Trump in which the former president may have admitted wrongdoing, the report said.

According to CNN's report: “Pence’s meeting with investigators comes as he is exploring a possible challenge to Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, with his testimony likely to elicit a strong negative reaction from his former boss.

“As part of his political appearances and a recent book tour, Pence frequently speaks about refusing to do Trump’s bidding on January 6 and instead followed the Constitution. But he had avoided speaking under oath as part of any investigation.”