Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at an event promoting his new book at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, in Washington, DC, October 19, 2022.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
An attorney for former Vice President Mike Pence said last week that a “small number” of classified documents were found at his home in Carmel, Indiana.
Pence’s attorney notified the National Archives and Records Administration of the discovery on Wednesday, according to a letter obtained by CNBC.
Following the news that classified documents were found at the president, Pence had outside attorneys with experience working with classified documents search his home and record them “with due care” before the classified documents were released on Jan. 16. Document found. Joe Biden’s Home and Office, Pence’s attorney told the Archives. The discovery, which CNN previously reported, comes after Pence said several times he didn’t have classified documents.
O’Melveny’s attorney, Gregory Jacob, who handles handling of Pence’s records, said in a letter sent to the National Archives on Sunday that the Department of Justice sent FBI agents to Pence’s home at 9:30 p.m. Thursday. He said he had sent it and retrieved the document. He was kept in a safe while he was in Washington, D.C. for his life in the March Fourth.
“We haven’t heard anything from the DOJ since,” Devin O’Malley, a Pence spokesperson, told NBC News.
You can read Jacob’s letter to the National Archives here.
Congressional leaders were informed of the discovery by Pence’s team on Tuesday.
O’Malley told NBC News: [classified] Documents believed to be marked classified were discovered, and two separate boxes containing courtesy copies of the Vice President’s papers were handed over Monday by Pence’s legal team.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland Appoints Two Special Counsel to Investigate Biden and Former President donald trump Regarding the handling of confidential materials.
The White House announced on January 9th that the documents were found by Biden’s personal attorney on November 2nd at the Penn-Biden Center in Washington, DC. The attorney then notified the National Archives, leading to an investigation by the Justice Department. Additional documents were later found by attorneys at Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware on Dec. 20, and the home was raided by FBI agents on Friday.
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Fla., was raided by the FBI in August after months of talks between the National Archives, the Justice Department, and Trump. Authorities found 15 of her boxes containing hundreds of documents marked confidential in the search.
Unlike Biden, who agreed to the search, Trump refused to cooperate and was eventually issued a search warrant. Trump has repeatedly insisted he did nothing wrong with his handling of the documents after taking office, and despite evidence to the contrary, before he resigned, the classified documents were He claims it was all declassified by him.
Trump defended the former vice president in a post on his website, Truth Social.
“Mike Pence is an innocent man,” Trump wrote. “He has never been willfully unfaithful in his life. Leave him alone!!!”
Special Counsel Robert Herr, a former federal attorney in Maryland, was named by Garland on Jan. 12 to investigate Biden’s handling of classified materials. Garland appointed former federal prosecutor Jack Smith to investigate Trump’s handling of classified documents on Nov. 18. Smith is also investigating Trump’s involvement in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
The FBI declined to comment and referred to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
White House Press Secretary Carine Jean-Pierre declined to comment when asked by reporters about the Pence revelations on Tuesday, citing an ongoing investigation.
“The Justice Department is independent and does not interfere politically,” said Jean-Pierre. “We are very clear about it.”
Biden told reporters in Mexico City on January 10 that he was “surprised” to find the documents.
In an interview with CBS News on Jan. 10, before the documents were found in his home, Pence said he was “convinced” that he had none of the classified materials he possessed during his tenure at the White House. Stated.
“Our staff will review all materials in our offices and in our residences to ensure that no classified materials have left the White House or become our property,” Pence said. “I am confident that it was done in a thorough and careful manner. I didn’t.”
Pence told Fox Business on Jan. 12 that the situation was “very serious” before classified documents were found in his home.
“The handling of classified materials and national secrets is a very serious issue, and as a former Vice President of the United States, I can speak from personal experience about the need to pay attention to these materials during my tenure. After you leave the office,” he told Fox Business. “And obviously that didn’t happen in this case.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters on Tuesday that the United States may be over-classifying information. Graham also said he believes the document crisis now goes beyond politics.
“What used to be a political issue for the Republican Party is now a national security issue,” Graham said at a news conference on Capitol Hill.
— CNBC’s Kayla Taushe Contributed to this article.
