Mike Pence dodges DOJ charges in documents probe as he prepares for White House run
(TNS) — Former Vice President Mike Pence has reportedly been cleared in an investigation into classified documents found at his Indiana home.
Federal prosecutors said in a letter to Pence’s attorneys that “no criminal charges will be sought” in the investigation into a handful of classified documents uncovered in January by the ex-vice president’s team, CNN reported Friday.
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The Pence probe was not related to the investigation by special counsel Jack Smith into former President Donald Trump taking scores of secret documents to his Mar-a-Lago resort when he left the White House.
A separate special counsel is investigating documents found at sites tied to President Joe Biden from his days as vice president.
The report is a boost to Pence as he prepares to launch a 2024 Republican presidential bid next week.
He has so far mostly avoided criticizing Trump over the documents or other issues, although he may start punching once he officially enters the race.
Pence’s lawyers mounted their own search of his personal residence in suburban Indianapolis and found about a dozen sensitive documents.
Pence, who apologized for what he called a “mistake,” voluntarily asked investigators to collect the cache of about a dozen documents and to perform their own exhaustive search of the home.
Pence’s handling of his document discovery dramatically differed from Trump’s response to the Mar-a-Lago records.
While Trump claims he had the right to take classified documents, Pence said he never even knew that he had any of the documents.
The former vice president immediately notified federal authorities and urged them to secure them, unlike Trump who spent more than a year haggling with authorities and even defied a subpoena to return the documents at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump was captured on audiotape at his New Jersey golf resort showing off a classified document detailing a plan for the U.S. to attack Iran.
Biden’s documents are being investigated by special counsel Robert Hur, who has been tight-lipped about progress in the probe.
Like Pence, Biden’s lawyers notified authorities when they uncovered several classified documents during a search of an office he used during the period before he returned to the White House.
The president said he was unaware of the documents and invited federal investigators to search his homes, which turned up a handful of additional documents.
