Pence's team had argued that such communications could run afoul of the Speech and Debate Clause that shields officials in Congress from legal proceedings specifically related to their work. "These events -- which reflected the most serious attack on the operations of the Federal Government since the Civil War -- threatened not only the safety of Congress and others present at the Capitol, but also the principles of democracy enshrined in our history and our Constitution," Sauber wrote to Smith in February, after Smith had reached out the White House to determine whether the president planned to assert privilege over Pence's grand jury appearance. \"These events -- which reflected the most serious attack on the operations of the Federal Government since the Civil War -- threatened not only the safety of Congress and others present at the Capitol, but also the principles of democracy enshrined in our history and our Constitution,\" Sauber wrote to Smith in February, after Smith had reached out the White House to determine whether the president planned to assert privilege over Pence's grand jury appearance