Former VP Mike Pence refuses to testify in front of January 6 panel

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In an interview for CBS News channel, former US Vice President Mike Pence relayed his refusal to testify before the January 6 panel by the House of Representatives for the attack on the US Capitol, on account that Congress "has no right to my testimony."

Pence expressed that doing so would establish a "terrible precedent for the Congress to summon a vice president of the United States to speak about deliberations that took place at the White House." 

He said he would not cooperate at his own will. "I'm closing the door on that," he stressed.

Read more: Mike Pence: President Trump is wrong

The panel in high-profile hearings highlighted Pence's refusal to go along with former President Donald Trump's attempts at overturning the 2020 presidential election results in which Democrat Joe Biden took the win. 

According to a CNN report on Monday, "President Trump is wrong," Pence said. "I had no right to overturn the election.” The report clearly is an attempt to victimize Pence who had every opportunity to report the plot to authorities. 

Suspiciously, Pence was nowhere to be found for hours when Trump-backed riots stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying Biden's victory as President. 

Pence, whose book titled "So Help Me God" was released on Tuesday, details these events in it, as his former staffers continue to provide testimony to the panel. It is also reported that he may run for the 2024 presidential candidacy, but it is not yet confirmed. 

Even if Pence is planning a presidential run against Trump in 2024, his prospects of defeating the former President are limited. According to a Harvard CAPS/Harris survey conducted in late January of this year, Trump garnered 57% of GOP support, while Pence received 11%.