Ahead of an upcoming trial determining the former president’s culpability in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump is attempting to prevent Mike Pence from testifying against him in court. George Takei continues to offer some commentary about Trump’s legal shenanigans, although with a little less brevity this time.
Known for his role as Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek, Takei frequently takes to his Twitter account to spread awareness of political injustices and to comment on the drama coming out of the U.S. political theater. On April 11, Takei posted a tweet about the news that former president Trump is continuing attempts to block Pence’s testimony, saying, “if Trump has nothing to hide, he should not be worried about Mike Pence and others testifying. Right?” Takei’s tweet follows further developments in Trump’s seemingly never-ending legal saga.
In late March, a federal judge ordered Pence to testify about conversations he and the former president had leading up to the time of the Jan. 6 capitol insurrection, which infamously resulted in five deaths. Despite separate attempts by both Pence and Trump to prevent Pence from appearing in front of a grand jury, Pence ultimately accepted the judge’s latest decision, and has decided to comply. In what was always a long shot, Pence had previously argued he was protected by the “speech and debate clause,” as he was president of the Senate. Trump argued that his conversations with then-Veep Pence should remain confidential as part of the president’s “executive privilege.” The courts did not agree, and despite multiple attempts by Trump’s team to prevent it, Pence and other top executives are still expected to testify.
Per a CNN report, Trump is appealing the judge’s decision to compel Pence to give his testimony. It’s unlikely the courts will side with Trump this time, given his previous efforts of claiming “executive privilege” haven’t gone over well. We can’t deny Takei has a point — Trump’s actions certainly give off the impression he has something to hide. At the very least, it’s clear he really doesn’t want Pence to testify.
Pence’s testimony could indeed be bad news for Trump; a report from USA Today alleges Trump urged Pence to reject several electoral votes in an effort to overturn the 2020 election in Trump’s favor, but that Pence refused. The alleged strategy (using “alleged” loosely, as the source is Trump’s own personal lawyer, John Eastman) was for Pence to send alternate electors who supported Trump in key swing states, thus ensuring another four years of Trump. When Pence refused, he was faced with Jan. 6 insurrectionists who hung a gallows in effigy while chanting “hang Mike Pence.” It wouldn’t be a surprise if this experience leads Pence to testify less-than-favorably against Trump. Pence could be called in to testify as early as this week, if Trump’s latest round of appeals fails once again.
Published: Apr 11, 2023 05:47 pm