FBI finds 1 additional classified document at Mike Pence home after search

FBI agents searched former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana home for five hours Friday, removing one document with classified markings more than three weeks after the former Hoosier State governor turned over two boxes of records marked as sensitive to the bureau.

Pence rep Devin O’Malley described the search as “consensual,” “thorough” and “unrestricted” before confirming that investigators “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.”

“The vice president has directed his legal team to continue its cooperation with appropriate authorities and to be fully transparent through the conclusion of this matter,” added O’Malley.

A police car blocked off the driveway leading to Pence’s home in Carmel, a northern suburb of Indianapolis, as reporters swarmed around the front gate. A person familiar with the search told The Post a member of Pence’s legal team was at the home for the duration.

Pence himself was not present, having traveled to the West Coast to visit his son and daughter, each of whom welcomed new babies this week, the person added.

Investigators took possession of the first two boxes of records on the night of Jan. 19, while Pence was in Washington for the annual March for Life. A day earlier, Pence attorney Greg Jacob had informed the National Archives that the documents were located Jan. 16. Pence notified Congress of the discovery Jan. 23.

“The additional records appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed and transported to the personal home of the former Vice President at the end of the last Administration,” Jacob wrote to Archives official Kate McClure.

On Jan. 27, in his first public comments about the discovery, Pence told an audience at Florida International University in Miami: “While I was not aware that the classified documents were in our personal residence, let me be clear, those classified documents should not have been in my personal residence. Mistakes were made and I take full responsibility.”

The documents that were turned over reportedly had been taken from the vice presidential residence at the Naval Observatory in northwest Washington, while other material came from a West Wing office drawer. The person familiar with the search told The Post that Pence was unaware that either potentially sensitive or classified documents had been taken to his home. 

According to contemporary reports, Pence lacked a permanent residence when he left office as vice president in January 2021, and was forced to live with relatives for a time before moving into the Carmel home. 

Pence, a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, has tried to draw a contrast between his handling of the records and the Biden administration, which took more than two months to inform the public that classified documents had been discovered Nov. 2 at the president’s former think tank office in Washington. Since then, more secret documents dating to President Biden’s time as a senator and Barack Obama’s vice president have been found at his residence in Wilmington, Del.

In November of last year, Pence told ABC News’ David Muir “I did not” when asked if he took classified documents from the Trump White House.

“There’d be no reason to have classified documents, particularly if they were in an unprotected area,” the former vice president added.

Late last month, the National Archives asked representatives of former presidents and vice presidents dating back to Ronald Reagan to double-check their records for classified material or other documents covered by the Presidential Records Act, which states that any records created or received by the president or vice president while in office are federal property to be managed by the Archives at the end of each administration.

The FBI search of Pence’s home came hours after he was reportedly subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith, who is investigating former President Donald Trump’s own handling of classified documents following his presidency, as well as the 76-year-old’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. 

With Steven Nelson and Victor Nava