Mike Pence will not appeal order to testify to January 6 grand jury

The order was handed down last week. A spokesperson for Pence announced the decision on Wednesday, clearing the way for Pence to appear before a grand jury in Washington.

Lawyers for Trump could still appeal the executive privilege ruling.

The justice department investigation, under the special counsel Jack Smith, is just one form of legal jeopardy faced by Trump, even as he continues to enjoy big leads in polls regarding the Republican presidential nomination.

The former president was indicted in New York this week on charges related to a hush money payment to a porn star who claims an affair.

Trump also faces a Georgia state election subversion investigation, the federal investigation of his retention of classified documents and civil suits in New York over his business practices and a defamation case arising from an allegation of rape.

Trump denies all wrongdoing and claims to be the victim of political witch-hunts.

Nine deaths have been linked to the attack, including law enforcement suicides. More than a thousand people have been arrested and hundreds convicted, some of seditious conspiracy.

Pence has publicly addressed his interactions with Trump after election day and up to and including January 6, not least in a book, So Help Me God, seemingly meant to prepare the ground for a presidential run.

Associated Press contributed reporting