Trump Shields 'Innocent' Pence On Classified Papers Matter: 'Leave Him Alone'

Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Mike Pence is an “innocent man” after classified papers were discovered at the former vice president’s home in Indiana. 

What Happened: The former U.S. leader made his remarks on Truth Social. Trump said, “[Pence] never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life. Leave him alone!!!”

Trump’s reaction was markedly different than the one earlier in January when he alleged a China nexus after classified documents were discovered at a private office linked with President Joe Biden.

At the time, Trump had said that a vice president cannot declassify documents that were covered by the Federal Records Act. 

What Happened: Pence has become the latest in a line of top U.S. leaders to have been found with classified documents after they left office.

Trump, who is facing a criminal probe over classified documents, has contrasted his storage of government records with that of Biden.

More than 20 boxes of documents were recovered from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in August by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Subsequently, classified documents were also recovered from President Biden’s Delaware home by his attorneys and the U.S. Department of Justice. 

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