Pence's former chief of staff Marc Short cooperating with Jan. 6 committee

WASHINGTON — Marc Short, who was chief of staff to then-Vice President Mike Pence, is cooperating with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to two people familiar with the panel's activities.

"He is," one of the sources said. "So far."

A second source, who confirmed that Short had been subpoenaed, said the panel is assessing what information he might be able to provide.

Short did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

CNN first reported that Short received a subpoena and is cooperating with the committee. Some of former President Donald Trump's allies have resisted the bipartisan panel's efforts to investigate the attack on the Capitol, in which a crowd loyal to Trump stormed barricades, assaulted police officers, terrorized lawmakers and staff members and ransacked the building. Among other lines of inquiry, the committee is looking into whether members of Trump's inner circle coordinated the riot.

In November, a federal grand jury indicted former Trump White House aide Steve Bannon on two contempt-of-Congress charges related to his refusal to testify and provide documents to the committee. Bannon pleaded not guilty to both counts.

Last week, John Eastman, a lawyer who wrote memos arguing that Pence could overrule the electoral vote count, said on Bannon's podcast that he would avoid testifying by asserting his Fifth Amendment right against possible self-incrimination. Eastman's deposition is scheduled for Wednesday, and longtime Trump adviser Jason Miller has been ordered to appear for a deposition Friday.

Mark Meadows, one of Trump's White House chiefs of staff, has provided documents to the committee and is expected to give a deposition soon, panel Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said last week. Meadows began engaging following a threat of a criminal contempt-of-Congress referral like the one that led to Bannon's indictment.