Former President Donald Trump defended former Vice President Mike Pence following a report alleging that classified documents were found in his home.
“Mike Pence is an innocent man. He never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life. Leave him alone!!!” Trump said in a Truth Social post Tuesday. (RELATED: Trump Campaign Reveals Plans For 2023)
Trump’s comments came shortly after a CNN report alleging that Pence’s lawyer found 12 classified documents at Pence’s home. The lawyer alerted the National Archives, which in turn alerted the Justice Department. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Indianapolis field office reportedly retrieved the documents from Pence’s home that same evening.
The FBI and the Justice Department’s National Security division are reportedly reviewing the documents, CNN reported. Their level of classification is unclear.
Pence alleged possession of classified documents follows discoveries of classified material at President Joe Biden’s Delaware home and D.C. think tank. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a Special Counsel on Jan.12 to investigate Biden’s classified documents. The investigation is ongoing.
Garland also appointed a Special Counsel on Nov. 18 to oversee an ongoing investigation into Trump’s possession of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The Special Counsel is also overseeing a criminal investigation into potentially unlawful interference in the transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election.
Pence was unaware that he possessed classified documents and will cooperate with any inquiries, his spokesperson told CNN. He previously denied possessing classified documents in a November interview with ABC News.