Classified documents found at former US vice-president Mike Pence’s home

Classified documents have been found at former US vice president Mike Pence's home, the latest in a string of discoveries of confidential files in private residences of former presidents and VPs.

The records "were inadvertently boxed and transported to the personal home of the former vice president at the end of the last administration," Mr Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in a letter.

He said it appeared to be a "small number of documents bearing classified markings" that were collected by FBI agents.

Mr Pence's lawyer said the VP “was unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence" but “engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents, to review records stored in his personal home after it became public that documents with classified markings were found in President Joe Biden's Wilmington residence" his lawyer said..

Roughly 300 documents with classification markings - including some at 'top secret' level - have been recovered from former President Donald Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago estate since he left office in January 2021.

The former president faces legal action for allegedly mishandling classified files. Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed the department’s inquiry into his own conduct amounted to “corruption”.

Meanwhile, attorneys have found six classified documents in Mr Biden’s home library in Delaware from his time as vice president and a further cache in a former Washington office.

The former VP said in August that he did not take any classified information with him when he left office.

Asked directly if he had retained any such information, he said, “No, not to my knowledge.”