Pence's former chief of staff appears before Jan. 6 grand jury

His appearance was under subpoena, according to the person.

Short is one of the most significant witnesses known to face grand jury questions related to Jan. 6. He was at Pence’s side during the chaotic weeks after the 2020 election, helping Donald Trump’s No. 2 fend off pressure from the then-president to single-handedly overturn the results.

Short testified to the Jan. 6 select committee in January about Pence’s efforts to convince Trump that he lacked the power to overturn the election, a message Pence relayed numerous times in the weeks before Jan. 6. But Trump, relying on a cadre of fringe attorneys, pushed a theory that Pence — who was charged by the Constitution with presiding over the count of electoral votes on Jan. 6 — could unilaterally refuse to count dozens of electors for Joe Biden, or postpone the count altogether.