Mike Pence must testify before grand jury investigating January 6 – reports

Former US vice-president Mike Pence must testify in front of a grand jury investigating Donald Trump's election subversion and incitement of the January 6 attack on Congress, a federal judge reportedly ruled on Tuesday.

Multiple news outlets reported the ruling, which remained under seal.

Trump and Pence himself have both sought to stop Pence from testifying in the justice department investigation of Trump's attempt to overturn his defeat by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

At issue are conversations between Pence and Trump leading up to January 6 and the attack on the Capitol, which is now linked to nine deaths, more than a thousand arrests and hundreds of convictions.

Lawyers for Trump cited executive privilege, the concept that communications between a president and aides are protected.

Lawyers for Pence argued he was protected by the separation of powers, via the vice-president's role as president of the Senate, which he performed on 6 January 2021, the day supporters who were told to "fight like hell" by Trump tried to block certification of Biden's win.

On Tuesday, James E Boasberg, a judge in federal district court in Washington DC, reportedly rejected both arguments.