A lawyer for Mike Pence discovered about a dozen documents marked as classified at Pence’s Indiana home last week, and he has turned those classified records over to the FBI, as reported by multiple sources.
The documents were “inadvertently boxed and transported” to Mr. Pence’s home at the end of President Donald J. Trump’s administration, Greg Jacob, Mr. Pence’s representative for dealing with records related to the presidency, wrote in a letter to the National Archives.
The discovery comes after much classified material was found in President Joe Biden’s private office and residence as well, and after a protracted investigation into former president Donald Trump’s denial of having possession of top secret documents.
Mr. Trump resisted the urging of aides to give boxes of documents with unknown contents to the National Archives. When he eventually turned over 15 boxes, archives officials found hundreds of pages with classified markings. Mr. Trump later faced a grand jury subpoena to turn over any remaining documents, and one of his lawyers wrote a statement saying everything had been turned over. When investigators found evidence that was not the case, the F.B.I. searched his club in August.
Mr. Biden, by contrast, has cooperated since the discovery of documents at his nonprofit offices and then his home. Mr. Jacob, who was Mr. Pence’s general counsel while he was vice president, stressed cooperation in the letter to the National Archives.
Pence asked his lawyer to conduct the search, who examined four boxes and found the material. Pence’s lawyer immediately alerted the National Archives, which informed the Justice Department.
The FBI immediately asked to withdraw the classified documents, and Pence agreed without delay.
