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Classified documents at Pence’s home, too, his lawyer says

Published January 25. 2023 11:33AM
by JILL COLVIN Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence ‘s Indiana residence last week, his lawyer says, the latest in a string of recoveries of papers meant to be treated with utmost sensitivity from the homes of current and former top U.S. officials.

“A small number of documents,” taken into FBI custody last Thursday, “were inadvertently boxed and transported” to the former vice president’s home at the end of the last administration, Pence’s lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in a letter to the National Archives shared with The Associated Press.

He said Pence had been “unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence” until a search last week and that he “understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information” and stands ready to cooperate with “any appropriate inquiry.”

The revelation came as the Department of Justice was already investigating the discovery of documents with classification markings in President Joe Biden’s home in Delaware and his former Washington office, as well as former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. Democrat Biden has indicated he will seek reelection, Republican Trump is already a declared candidate, and Pence has been exploring a possible 2024 campaign.

The newest discovery thrusts Pence, who had previously insisted that he followed stringent protocols regarding classified documents, into the debate over the handling of secret materials by officials who have served in the highest ranks of government.

Trump is currently under criminal investigation after roughly 300 documents with classified markings, including at the top secret level, were discovered at his Mar-a-Lago. Officials are trying to determine whether Trump or anyone else should be charged with illegal possession of those records or with trying to obstruct the months-long criminal investigation. Biden is also subject to a special counsel investigation after classified documents from his time as a senator and in the Obama administration were found at his properties.

Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, reacted to the new development on his social media site: “Mike Pence is an innocent man. He never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life. Leave him alone!!!” Trump and Pence have clashed over Pence’s refusal to go along with Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

FILE - Former Vice President Mike Pence sits for an interview with the Associated Press, Nov. 16, 2022, in New York. Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana Home last week, according to his attorney. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
FILE - An aerial view of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., on Aug. 31, 2022. The Justice Department issued a subpoena for the return of classified documents that Trump had refused to give back, then obtained a warrant and seized more than 100 documents during a dramatic August search of his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
President Joe Biden arrives on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Washington. Bidenâ??s decision to allow the FBI to search his home in Delaware last week is laying him open to fresh negative attention and embarrassment following the discovery of classified documents at his home and former office. But it's part of a legal and political calculation that aides believe will pay off in the long run as he prepares to seek reelection. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
FILE - Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks with reporters, Dec. 6, 2022, at Garden Sanctuary Church of God in Rock Hill, S.C. Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Pence's Indiana home last week, according to his attorney. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File)