Former US Vice President Mike Pence was advised by the Department of Justice (DOJ) that no criminal charges would be brought against him due to their investigation into his handling of classified material after leaving office.
The DOJ's decision was communicated to Pence's lawyers in a letter, according to an ABC News report. The letter detailed the DOJ inquiry's findings. Its veracity was verified by a Justice Department spokeswoman, who refrained from making any other remarks.
Just one week before Pence is slated to announce his campaign for the 2024 presidential election, the DOJ's National Security Division sends the letter, per CBS News.
According to a Pence advisor, the former US vice president and his staff were happy with the DOJ's decision, but it was not unexpected.
Mike Pence's attorneys informed the Justice Department earlier this year that they had found a limited quantity of confidential papers at his Indiana home.
Mike Pence Took Responsibility for Mishandling of Classified Documents
After Mike Pence ordered a review of his records in January in response to the discovery of classified documents in President Joe Biden's Delaware possession, the former vice president's lawyer discovered around a dozen classified documents at Pence's Indiana residence.
When Mike Pence discovered the sensitive materials, he immediately handed them over to the FBI. This prompted an investigation by the FBI and the Justice Department's National Security Division to determine how the data came to be at Pence's home.
Even though Pence claimed to have no knowledge that these records were at his house, he took ownership of the incident and admitted that errors were made, CNN reported.
The Justice Department is currently looking into how Joe Biden and Donald Trump handled classified documents. According to Attorney General Merrick Garland, both of the investigations have a special counsel, which highlights the fact that both personalities are contenders in the 2024 presidential elections.
Mike Pence's advisors contend that the circumstances surrounding the discovery of classified documents are very different from those of Trump, both in terms of the steps taken to transfer Pence's records at the end of the Donald Trump administration, where a small number of classified documents were unintentionally packed and Pence's prompt cooperation with the FBI and the National Archives.
