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The Justice Department has ended its classified documents probe into former Vice President Mike Pence, who will not face charges in relation to the investigation, a Pence senior advisor confirmed with Semafor.
“We are pleased but not surprised,” the advisor said.
Pence is expected to announce his presidential run next week.
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Pence’s attorney notified authorities in January that he had discovered about a dozen classified documents during a search of the former vice president’s Indiana home following news that both former President Trump and President Biden also had classified documents that had not been turned over to the National Archives.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed Special Counsels Jack Smith and Robert Hur to oversee the Trump and Biden investigations respectively.
Both Biden’s and Pence’s team admitted mishandling the documents and immediately handed them over to authorities.
In contrast, Trump refused to hand over all the documents kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate after a subpoena last year, which resulted in an FBI raid that uncovered more than 100 additional documents despite his attorneys attesting that they had all been handed over.
Trump subsequently engaged in legal battles in an attempt to prevent investigators from reviewing seized documents.
CNN reported earlier this week that investigators have audio of Trump admitting that he kept classified documents after leaving office, undermining his argument that he had unclassified the files.
Shelby’s view
The decision likely bodes well for Biden, whose own classified documents case so far resembles Pence’s more than Trump’s.
But, for Pence, it’s also an opportunity to distinguish himself from Trump as he officially becomes a presidential candidate.
As CNN reported, Pence’s advisors have highlighted the differences between the two cases, noting that the former vice president immediately cooperated with the FBI and National Archives upon discovery of the documents.