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A number of documents bearing classified markings were found at former Vice President Mike Pence’s home in Indiana on January 16, his team confirmed Tuesday.
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The documents were handed over to the FBI on the evening of January 19, according to a January 22 letter that was sent to the National Archives and Records Administration by Pence attorney Gregory F. Jacob. The letter, obtained by Semafor, stated that FBI agents came to Pence’s residence to collect the documents while the former vice president was in Washington, D.C. for the March for Life event.
“Vice President Pence was unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence. Vice President Pence understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information and stands ready and willing to cooperate fully with the National Archives and any appropriate inquiry,” an additional letter from Pence’s attorney to the Archives, dated January 18, reads.
According to Jacob, lawyers searched the former vice president’s personal home “out of an abundance of caution” following news that classified documents were found at President Joe Biden’s home.
Pence informed Congress of the classified documents found at his home on Tuesday, House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement.
“Former Vice President Mike Pence reached out today about classified documents found at his home in Indiana. He has agreed to fully cooperate with congressional oversight and any questions we have about the matter. Former Vice President Pence’s transparency stands in stark contrast to Biden White House staff who continue to withhold information from Congress and the American people,” Comer said.
Step Back
Pence is just the latest high-level White House official to have classified documents found at his home. Last year, the FBI found a number of documents at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel for both Trump and Biden’s classified documents probes. Meanwhile, the FBI and Justice Department’s National Security Division are looking into how documents landed at Pence’s personal residence, according to CNN, which first reported on the story.
In August, Pence told the Associated Press that he didn’t take classified documents with him after leaving the White House, saying at the time: “No, not to my knowledge.” He also expressed confidence that there were no classified materials in his archives during an interview with CBS News earlier in January.
“Our staff reviewed all of the materials in our office and in our residence to ensure that there were no classified materials that ... left the White House or remained in our possession,” he said at the time. “And I, I remain confident that that was done in a thorough and careful way.”