JAKARTA - A secret document was found at the residence of former US Vice President Mike Pence in Indiana last week, and was immediately handed over to the FBI, his lawyer Greg Jacob said in a letter.
Jacob sent a letter to the National Archives on January 18 to inform him of the document's discovery. In a separate letter on January 22, a letter was sent back to the National Archives, telling the FBI came to the house of the former vice president to pick it up.
Jacob said in a letter dated January 18 to the National Archives, "because he was very careful" Mike Pence had involved outside advisers to review the records stored at his home, following reports of material found at President Biden's residence.
"Counsel identified a small number of documents that could potentially contain sensitive or confidential information spread across records," Jacob wrote in the letter.
"Vice President Pence immediately secured the documents in a locked safe, pending further direction on proper handling of the National Archives," he continued.
Pence's attorney did not review the contents of the document, after it was determined to be classified, read the letter.
In a separate letter dated January 22, Jacob said the Justice Department was "passing standard procedures and requesting direct ownership" of documents at Pence's residence.
With the approval of the former vice president, FBI agents came to his home in Indiana at 21.30 local time on January 19, to collect documents stored in the safe, Jacob said.
This discovery follows previous discoveries at the residence of former President Donald Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden.
President Biden, whose documents date back as vice president, and Trump, who declined to hand over the items, led to the FBI raid, both faced a special prosecutor's investigation by the Justice Department over improper handling of classified material.
The discovery could help alleviate the political impact on President Biden, who criticized Trump last fall for his handling of classified material, leading to accusations of defamation when documents in his former office and garage were found.
The issue has become a political responsibility for the two men, who may face each other in the 2024 presidential election.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a critic of Biden and Trump's allies, said he said none of the three men had deliberately tried to jeopardize national security.
"But obviously we have a problem here. So hopefully when all this is said and done, maybe we classify things too much, that might be part of the problem," he said.
"What is a political issue for Republicans is now a national security issue for the country," he said.
It is known, during the presidential transition period, records of each administration should be left to the official custody of the US National Archives.
Deleting or keeping classified material intentionally or unintentionally is a violation of the law. The failure to properly store and secure classified material creates a national security risk if it falls into the wrong hands.
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