DOJ is in talks with former Vice President Pence’s legal team about scheduling a search at his Indianapolis home. The FBI agents will search Pence’s home, much like they did with the Biden residences, to look for any classified documents that may be stored there. Perhaps all living former presidents and vice presidents should be preparing for such visits from the FBI.
There seems to be a pattern developing of former officials at the highest levels of government asking their lawyers to check their homes for classified documents. Somehow we are to believe that no one knew about the existence of these sensitive documents in the homes of a current president and a former vice president. A former president is also in the mix but his case has been handled completely differently than the others.
Like Biden, Pence’s lawyer notified the FBI that sensitive documents were found at his home.
Last month, following similar revelations from President Biden’s legal team, Mr. Pence’s lawyers disclosed they had discovered several documents with classification markings at his home and turned them over to authorities. They said the documents had been inadvertently packed up and transported and that Mr. Pence was unaware of their existence.
Both disclosures came as the Justice Department has been investigating former President Donald Trump over the handling of classified material after he left the White House at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents collected documents from Mr. Pence’s Indiana home on Jan. 19 at the request of the Justice Department, according to a letter from Mr. Pence’s lawyer, Greg Jacob, sent to the National Archives dated Jan. 22. Mr. Pence agreed to the transfer, the letter said. Agents haven’t yet undertaken a search of their own there.
We don’t know what information the classified documents from either Biden or Pence contained. What we do know is that there are no pictures of folders marked classified strewn across a carpeted floor at either Pence’s home or Biden’s. We did see pictures of some random boxes in Biden’s garage next to his Corvette but that’s it. Pence, like Biden, said the documents were boxed up with other items when he left the White House and he wasn’t aware they were there. That means his staff, like Biden’s, is being thrown under the bus.
The FBI has conducted at least three searches of Biden’s homes and his former office at the Penn-Biden Center. The Rehoboth Beach house was searched on Wednesday. Nothing was found there but there was plenty of time to move any classified documents from that house because of all of the advanced notice. There isn’t any evidence that happened but it could have happened. The documents are drip, drip, dripping out over some time. Some classified documents were even found from Biden’s days in the Senate. Sleepy Joe has some ‘splainin’ to do.
As I mentioned, all of this civilized behavior by the FBI in the accommodation of the president and the former vice president is different than how Trump’s case was handled. The story is that Trump was negotiating with the National Archives for months about returning documents. A final agreement was never reached so patience grew thin and the FBI arrived with lights flashing in the early morning hours. Trump was not home at Mar-a-Lago at the time. FBI agents searched his home, including Melania’s closet and Barron’s room. Trump’s documents were locked up as requested by government officials. Trump never denied having the documents, but he was under the impression that he didn’t have to give them up. For an extra touch, the local media was tipped off and they reported live on the scene as the FBI search was conducted. Trump’s lawyer was not allowed into the residence.
It is interesting that in the case of some of Biden’s haul, FBI agents took his notes and other materials from the beach house though no classified documents were found there. Did Biden take notes on classified material? That’s a no-no from the reporting I’ve heard.
I wonder if Mike Pence will get a special counsel. Trump and Biden both have one. You get a special counsel. You get a special counsel. And you get a special counsel.
Who will be next?
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