WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is using a grand jury in Washington to investigate efforts by former President Donald Trump and his inner circle to create false electors and pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Marc Short, Pence’s former chief of staff, and Greg Jacob, the former vice president’s chief counsel, appeared before the grand jury in recent days where they were asked by federal prosecutors about conversations they had with Trump and his allies about efforts to create and submit false elector certificates from some states Joe Biden won, according to the person, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the investigation.
The nature of the questions posed to grand jury witnesses by prosecutors, earlier reported by the Washington Post, is one of the clearest signs to date the Justice Department’s investigation has expanded beyond those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to focus on actions taken by Trump and his allies in the days and weeks after the 2020 election.
