DLNews Politics:

When the FBI searched Pence's home last week, it found a "small number" of documents containing classified markings. But the former vice president has denied that he has any classified materials. Instead, he said he took the necessary steps to protect his personal and business documents. Asked by a reporter last year if he had taken classified documents from the White House, Pence said, "No, I didn't."

The now 63-year-old was Vice President for former President Donald Trump for four years. He appeared as a loyal companion. But the fact that Trump incited his supporters against Pence on the day of the attack on the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, permanently damaged the relationship between the two. Looking ahead to the 2024 presidential election, the former vice is seen as Trump's possible rival among Republicans. However, he has not yet declared his candidacy.

However, the National Archives is launching an investigation into whether Pence's team violated the Presidential Records Act by storing documents in his home that may be classified. According to CNN, the home of former US Vice President Mike Pence in Carmel, Indiana, is now under investigation. This is the third time in recent history that a president or vice president has improperly possessed classified materials after leaving office. In August, the FBI also searched the home of former President Donald Trump in Florida. And recently, the residence of the current President of the United States, Joe Biden. (in his role as Vice-President under former President Barack Obama.)

In a letter to the National Archives, Pence's lawyer wrote that a "small number" of documents allegedly marked as being classified had been inadvertently boxed and transported to the vice president's home. However, it is unclear how the records were inadvertently boxed.

While it is unclear how the document marked as classified got to the vice president's home, Pence's legal team said the documents were placed in a secure home safe. That is the protocol that should be followed when classified materials are accessed.

The National Archives and Records Administration referred the matter to the Justice Department, which sent the FBI to Pence's home on Thursday. The home has a total of seven bedrooms and ten thousand square feet. Despite the size, the house is located on a five-acre lot north of Indianapolis.

As with the documents in Trump's home, the White House has regulations that require that the records be stored in a secure facility. Pence's Washington, DC, advocacy group office was also searched. None of the documents in that office were marked as being classified.

According to the National Archives, most of the documents in the four boxes are copies of records that had already been sent to the archives. For example, several boxes were obtained from the White House in the final days of the Trump administration.