Short is viewed as a key witness by the Select Committee due to his proximity to both the former US President Donald Trump and former US Vice President Mike Pence in the lead up to the deadly January 6 attack of the US Capitol.
Of particular interest to the committee is Short’s participation in a January 4, 2021, meeting in which Trump and attorney John Eastman tried to convince the then-vice president to overturn the results of the presidential election. Eastman had prepared a memo suggesting that Pence could toss the election results in several battleground states and force the election to go through the House of Representatives.
The pressure Trump exerted on Pence to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election has become increasingly important to the committee’s investigation.
Committee chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), has said that he expects Pence to be invited to testify, but they have yet to formally ask. Sources have suggested that Pence hopes the testimony of aides will satisfy the committee and negate the need for him to appear.
Pence’s decision to obey the rule of law angered Trump and put his hopes of a 2024 presidential bid on precarious ground.
Trump said of Pence, "He could have overturned the Election!"
Before questioning Short, the committee questioned Pence’s former national security adviser, retired General Keith Kellogg. According to Kellogg’s testimony, Trump attempted to coerce Pence into overturning the results.
Kellogg told the committee at the time that Trump taunted Pence by saying: "You're not tough enough to make the call."
The testimony of Kellogg aligns with what Trump made public through his now-deleted Twitter account.
On January 6, 2021, Trump tweeted: "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country and our Constitution, giving states a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!"
The details of Short’s testimony have not been revealed. Both Short and a spokesperson for the committee declined to comment on the details of the inquiry.