Vice President Mike Pence informed Congress Tuesday that documents bearing classified markings were discovered in his Carmel, Indiana, home.
The documents, from his time as vice president were found by his lawyer on Jan. 16,
Pence had instructed his team to search his Indiana home and the office of his political advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom, following the revelations that classified documents from President Biden’s tenure as vice president were found.
Read more: FBI searches Biden’s home, finds more classified documents
Pence informed the National Archives on Jan. 18 of a small number of potential classified documents found in two small boxes, according to his team. The National Archives then informed the FBI per standard procedure.
Pence attorney Greg Jacob wrote on Jan. 18 Acting Director Kate Dillon McClure of the White House Liaison Division National Archives and Records Administration to inform her of the papers “containing classified markings.”
After the documents with classified markings were discovered, they were immediately put into a safe, according to the Pence team.
The documents were collected by the FBI at Pence’s home in Carmel, Indiana, on Thursday evening, Jan. 19. Pence was in Washington, D.C. for the annual March for Life when the FBI collected the documents.
In a letter to the National Archives, Pence’s representative to the Archives Greg Jacob wrote that a “small number of documents bearing classified markings” were inadvertently boxed and transported to the vice president’s home.
“Vice President Pence was unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence,” Jacob wrote. “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.”
He also said that, the DOJ departed from its standard procedures that it ran with Biden, when it requested direct possession of the documents on Jan. 19.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
