On Tuesday, former Vice President Mike Pence revealed to Congress that he discovered classified documents from his time as vice president in his Indiana home on Jan 16.
A search of his political advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom, also took place.
The records, which were taken into FBI custody, “appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed and transported to the personal home of the former vice president at the end of the last administration,” said Pence’s lawyer, Greg Jacob.
Jacob also said that Pence was “unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence” until a search last week.
The former vice president “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,” said Jacob.
According to the Pence team, the small number of potentially classified documents were found in two boxes, and two other boxes contained copies of vice presidential papers.
The National Archives were informed of the discovery on Jan 18, and the FBI was notified per standard procedure.
The documents with classified markings were immediately put into a safe, according to Pence’s team.
The Department of Justice or the agency that issued the documents will need to make a final determination on whether they are classified or not.
On Jan 22, Jacob wrote another letter addressed to the Chief Operating Officer William Bosanko of the National Archives and Records Administration, stating that the DOJ had departed from its standard procedures that it ran with Biden when it requested direct possession of the documents on Jan 19.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) was notified by Pence’s team on Tuesday, saying, “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,” Comer added. “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.”
The FBI collected the classified documents from Pence’s home on Jan 19, while he was in Washington, D.C., for the annual March for Life.
In a November interview with ABC News’ David Muir on “World News Tonight,” Pence was asked whether he had removed any classified documents from the White House.
“I did not,” Pence responded.
“Do you see any reason for anyone to take classified documents with them, leaving the White House?” Muir asked.
“Well, there’d be no reason to have classified documents, particularly if they were in an unprotected area,” the former vice president said. “But I will tell you that I believe there had to be many better ways to resolve that issue than executing a search warrant at the personal residence of a former President of the United States.”
