FBI search of Pence's home uncovers more documents
The FBI has discovered more relevant documents in a consensual search Friday of former Vice President Mike Pence's Carmel, Ind., home. Federal authorities removed one document with classification markings and six additional pages without markings, according to a Pence official.
"Following the discovery and disclosure of a small number of potentially classified documents that had inadvertently been transported to his home in Indiana, Vice President Pence and his legal team have fully cooperated with the appropriate authorities and agreed to a consensual search of his residence that took place today," Pence adviser Devin O'Malley said. "The Department of Justice completed a thorough and unrestricted search of five hours and removed one document with classified markings and six additional pages without such markings that were not discovered in the initial review by the vice president's counsel."
Two officials confirmed the search to CBS News Friday morning, and local police said they were directing traffic in the area while the search was carried out. No warrant was issued, and the search took place with the cooperation of Pence's team. The Justice Department declined to comment.
Pence has also been subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the investigations into former President Donald Trump. Sources told CBS News in November that the Justice Department had reached out to Pence in connection to Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021. Sources familiar with the matter told CBS News at the time that Pence had received the request and was reviewing it. Smith is also looking into Trump's handling of classified documents after his presidency.
The search is being conducted by FBI Indianapolis and at at this time, it is not connected to Smith's investigations of classified documents found at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence or at locales related to President Biden where classified documents were also found.
In January, a small number of documents with classification markings were found interspersed with Pence's personal papers at his home, including briefings from foreign trips. Pence's team said it turned the records over to authorities.
The former vice president has said he accepts "full responsibility" for the existence of the documents from his time as vice president.
"Those classified documents should not have been in my personal residence, mistakes were made," Pence told a crowd in Miami last month. "And I take full responsibility. And I direct my counsel to work with the National Archives, with the Department of Justice, and with the Congress to fully cooperate in any investigation," Pence said. "I know that when errors are made, it's important that they be resolved swiftly and disclosed."
NARA has asked representatives of the six most recent past presidential administrations to comb through their personal records again to check for any classified or other presidential records. That request to review documents was prompted by documents marked as classified found at the residences of President Biden, Pence and Trump.
CBS News also confirmed Friday, from two people familiar with the matter, that lawyers for Trump turned over a folder marked classified which was discovered at Mar-a-Lago last month.