Pence says he didn't depart from office accompanied by classified material

Pence says he didn't depart from office accompanied by classified material

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that he didn't lay clasp of some classified details accompanied by him when he left-hand office.

The disclosure — which would typically exist unremarkable for a former vice president — is notable specified that FBI agents seized classified accompanied by every one one other accompanied by top secret details from his former boss's Florida possessions on Aug. 8 while investigating potential violations of trio different confederate laws. Former President Donald Trump has claimed that the documents seized by agents were "all declassified."

Pence, asked unswerving if he had retained some classified details upon leaving office, told The Associated Press inside an interview, "No, not to my knowledge."

Despite the inclusion of material marked "top secret" inside the government's list of items recovered from Mar-a-Lago, Pence said, "I justly don't want to prejudge it earlier to until we know all the facts."

Pence was inside Iowa on Friday while small part of a place of set of two day-trip to the state, which hosts the leadoff Republican presidential caucuses. It comes while the former vice president has made stops inside other early voting states while he takes steps inside the way of mounting a 2024 White House campaign.

Pence excessively weighed inside on Republican U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney's main defeat earlier inside the week to a competitor backed by Trump. Cheney, who is arguably Trump's most prominent Republican critic, has called the former president "a extremely burying place threat accompanied by every one one other accompanied by chance to our republic" accompanied by every one one other accompanied by further raised his ire into with every one other accompanied by not here of her small portion while vice chair of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

"My response was, the people of Wyoming have spoken," said Pence, who was targeted at the Capitol that day by angry rioters, including some who chanted, "Hang Mike Pence!" "And, you know, I receive their discernment concerning the type of portrayal they want on Capitol Hill."

Pence said he has "great respect" for Cheney's father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served place of set of two terms under President George W. Bush.

"And I exist thankful for the conservative stance Congresswoman Cheney has taken over the years," Pence continued. "But I've been saddened inside the partisan taint of the Jan. 6 committee from early on."

Pence's aides said the committee contacted his legal team months ago to see if he would exist willing to testify. Although Pence has said he would inside attendance accompanied by "due consideration" to cooperating, he was adamant that the famous the natural world of such involvement must exist warranted accompanied by every one one other accompanied by agreed upon.

"Beyond my concerns concerning the partisan the natural world of the Jan. 6 committee, there are profound constitutional issues that have to exist considered," he said. "No vice president has at some hour dated been summoned to testify earlier to the Congress of the United States."

Speaking further concerning the search of Mar-a-Lago, the former vice president raised the possibility, while he has previously, that the investigation was politically motivated accompanied by every one one other accompanied by called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to disclose additional details on what led authorities to behaviour the search.

"The exist concerning that millions of Americans felt is only going to exist resolved accompanied by daylight," Pence said Friday. "I know that's not customary inside an investigation. But this is unprecedented deed by the Justice Department, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by I exist convinced by it merits an unprecedented transparency."

The Jan. 6 insurrection marked the earliest inside a number of condition breaks inside the centre of Trump accompanied by every one one other accompanied by his on one instance devout No. 2. But Pence has been careful not to alienate Republicans who have supported Trump nevertheless ability exist looking for another candidate inside the 2024 election. Despite his reluctance to find fault accompanied by the former president, Pence has occasionally spoken not here opposed to Trump, criticizing the assault at the U.S. Capitol accompanied by every one one other accompanied by additional not lengthy ago urging his fellow Republicans to place an extremity to lashing not here at the FBI over the search of Mar-a-Lago.

"The Republican Party is the communal gathering of rules with every one other accompanied by regulations accompanied by every one one other accompanied by order," Pence said Wednesday at a political breakfast inside New Hampshire. "Our communal gathering stands accompanied by the men accompanied by every one one other accompanied by women who stand on the small blue dash at the confederate accompanied by every one one other accompanied by condition accompanied by every one one other accompanied by local level, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by these attacks on the FBI must stop."

Pence said Friday that he would build a decision early following year concerning whether to sprint for the White House, a go that his aides have said will exist self-governing of what Trump decides to do.

Having visited the Iowa State Fair on Friday afternoon, Pence excessively headlined a fundraiser earlier inside the day for Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley accompanied by every one one other accompanied by was scheduled to speak to a Christian conservative category accompanied by every one one other accompanied by a northern Iowa county Republican Party fundraiser earlier to leaving Saturday.

Pence says he didn't depart from office accompanied by classified material