Former US Vice President Mike Pence was subpoenaed by the special counsel tasked with investigating attempts to overturn the 2020 US election, ABC News reported Thursday. This subpoena, from special counsel Jack Smith, reportedly requests documents and testimony from the former vice president.

This move marks an escalation of the counsel’s investigation into the efforts of former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results. It also coincides with Smith’s ongoing investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents. Although the subpoena has been issued to aid the investigation, Pence may attempt to invoke executive privilege, which could shield him from the summons.

This subpoena is likely to increase political tensions that have existed since the January 6th attack on the US Capitol, the congressional investigation into which has resulted in criminal referrals issued to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The original January 6th committee faced similar tensions when they issued a subpoena to ex-president Donald Trump, to which he responded with a lawsuit. Despite this, criminal investigations are still ongoing two years after the attack. The US House Select Committee investigating January 6th released their final report in December 2022, which includes details of Pence’s involvement.