An interview with former Vice President Mike Pence late last year saw him claim that he did not take any classified documents from the White House when he left in 2021.
The clip of his interview with ABC News’ David Muir resurfaced on Tuesday after reports surfaced that an attorney for Pence found about a dozen documents marked classified at Pence’s home in Indiana last week. Pence has since turned the documents over to the FBI, according to CNN.
The discovery comes as the Justice Department has tapped two special counsels to investigate the potential mishandling of classified documents by President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
After it was revealed that Biden’s office at the Penn Biden Center, a Washington think tank affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, had been a spot where the president had stored classified documents, Pence directed his team to search his home in Indiana and office at his political advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom (AAF).
While documents were discovered in his Indiana home, no classified papers turned up in the search of Pence’s offices at AAF.
Back in mid-November, several months after former President Trump’s Florida estate Mar-a-Lago had been raided, Pence was asked on ABC News’ “World News Tonight” with Muir whether he had taken any classified documents to which Pence responded, “I did not.”
“Do you see any reason for anyone to take classified documents with them, leaving the White House?” Muir pressed.
“Well, there’d be no reason to have classified documents, particularly if they were in an unprotected area,” Pence responded. “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.”
“Executing a search warrant against a former President of the United States, for the first time in history, sent the wrong message to the wider world,” Pence continued. “I hope that the Justice Department will think carefully about next steps in that light.”
”And do you hope that future presidents are also careful with the message they’re sending if they take classified documents with them from the White House?” Muir asked.
“Of course,” Pence responded.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
