Former Pence adviser expected to appear during Jan. 6 panel hearings: report

The retired judge who advised former Vice President Mike Pence ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol is expected to be among those who will testify as hearings begin next week, according to Axios. 

J. Michael Luttig, a former judge on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals appointed by George H. W. Bush, wrote ahead of the attack that the vice president’s role in certifying the election is only “to faithfully count the electoral college votes as they have been cast.”

Axios notes that official invitations to testify have not yet been sent, but Luttig previously told CBS News that he would be willing to speak before the House panel investigating Jan. 6, when supporters of former President Trump stormed the Capitol as lawmakers were certifying President Biden’s win. 

“If invited by the Congress, I would of course be glad to testify,” he said in a statement in April. 

According to Axios, Luttig is expected to provide remarks on the gravity of Jan. 6 for American democracy. He will also relay many of the same legal arguments he provided Pence, reviewing requirements under both the Constitution and the Electoral Count Act. 

The committee’s public hearings kick off next Thursday after months of work behind closed doors, although witnesses have not yet been publicly announced.