News broke Thursday that former vice president Mike Pence was subpoenaed by the special counsel investigating Donald Trump’s involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection – and Jimmy Fallon isn’t convinced he has the strength to stomach it.
The host of “The Tonight Show” zeroed in on the notoriously prim Indiana politician during his Friday night monologue, announcing the news development before sharing how he really thought Pence might’ve handled the news. Quick question: Is there a fainting couch around?
“Switching gears, I read that Mike Pence was just subpoenaed by the special council investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 attack,” Fallon set up. “Yeah, as if that wasn’t bad enough, Pence fainted when he heard the word ‘subpoena.’”
At that, Fallon emphasized the second syllable of “subpoena,” feigning shock and disgust while plugging his ears. It served as a comedic riff on Pence’s demure countenance – but also a knowing nod to his rigid, conservative stance in matters of sexuality and genitalia. “Subpoena” might send him into a shock for the same reason he’d clam up at the word “pianist,” for instance.
Per media reports on Thursday and Friday, the special counsel investigating Trump’s involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection, as led by Jack Smith, is vying for the former vice president to testify. They’re interested in hearing more about Pence’s interactions with Trump in the lead-up to the 2020 election and specifically on the day of the U.S. Capitol attacks.
According to ABC News, which first broke the news on Pence’s subpoena Thursday afternoon, “It’s not immediately clear to what extent the former vice president might seek to invoke claims of executive privilege over the information sought by Smith, which could set up a potentially lengthy and contentious legal battle with no clear modern precedent.”
Watch Fallon’s full “Tonight Show” monologue in the video above.