On Friday (August 19), former Vice President Mike Pence explained that he hadn’t taken any classified information when his time in the White House ended.
Pence, when asked directly if he had any classified information in his possession by reporters for the Associated Press, responded, “No, not to my knowledge.”
The former Vice President’s comments aren’t remarkable, yet given the context of the recent FBI raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence on August 8, Pence’s remarks are far more notable.
Despite the FBI seizing material labeled “Top Secret,” Trump claimed all documents in his possession had been “declassified.”
When confronted with the seizure of “top secret” material, Pence stated, “I honestly don’t want to prejudge it before until we know all the facts.”
Pence made his comments while on a two-day trip to Iowa. The state hosts the Republican’s presidential caucuses lead-off. The former Vice President has also toured other early voting states as he prepares to mount a 2024 Presidential campaign.
During his interview, the former Vice President also touched on Rep. Liz Cheney’s primary loss, claiming he felt “the people of Wyoming have spoken,” and that he accepts “their judgment about the kind of representation they want on Capitol Hill.”
Cheney gained the ire of Trump after she voted to impeach the former President following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and confirmed her position as his adversary by becoming the Vice Chair of the Jan. 6 Select Committee.
Pence and Trump’s relationship also fractured following Jan. 6, after he refused to kowtow to Trump’s request to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Pence was also targeted by angry rioters on Jan. 6, who chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!”
