WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Mike Pence found documents marked classified at his Indiana home this month which were taken by the FBI, a lawyer for the former Vice President said in letters to the National Archives.
Here’s how the situation unfolded, according to the letters:
Jan. 16: After seeing reports that President Joe Biden had classified documents in his Delaware home, Pence engaged lawyers to review records in his Indiana home. They found “a small number of documentsthat could potentially contain sensitive or classified information,” which were locked by Pence in a safe.
Jan, 18: Pence’s counsel Greg Jacob wrote to Kate Dillon, acting director in the White House Liaison Division of the National Archives, to notify the archives of the documents.
Jan. 19: The Department of Justice requested “direct possession” of the documents, the Jan. 22 letter says. Pence, who was in Washington, D.C., for a anti-abortion rally, “immediately agreed.”
FBI agents arrived at his Indiana home at 9:30 p.m. to collect the documents, which were secured in his safe.
Jan. 20: Pence’s attorney contacted the National Archive to reiterate an earlier offer to submit four boxes of documents containing “copies of Administrative papers” from Pence’s home. The four boxes were reviewed by Pence’s attorney, sealed and will be delivered on Jan. 23.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Heather Timmons; Editing by Alistair Bell)
