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Former President Donald Trump on Friday celebrated the news that former Vice President Mike Pence will not face charges for his handling of classified documents before adding he's "at least as innocent" as Pence.
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed to numerous media outlets that it had sent a letter to Pence's attorney stating its investigation into the discovery of classified documents at Pence's Indiana home was being closed. Pence, who had been interviewed during the probe, will not be charged.
The news that documents had been found at Pence's home came soon after it was announced in January that classified documents were discovered at President Joe Biden's former office as well as at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. An investigation is still ongoing in regards to Biden, as is one with Trump.
Around 20 documents were found at the two locations used by Biden, while more than 325 documents were found in Trump's possession following raid by the F.B.I. on his Mar-a-Lago estate last summer after he refused to return the materials.
"Just announced that they are not going to bring charges against Mike Pence on the document hoax. That's great, but when am I going to be fully exonerated, I'm at least as innocent as he is," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The former president then made unsubstantiated claims that Biden was "hiding at least 1850 boxes" of documents, including some at a location in Washington, D.C.'s, Chinatown.
"When will the witch hunt against 'TRUMP' stop?" he added.
Despite Trump's suggestion that the news about Pence not being charged means he will soon also be exonerated, some experts still believe he eventually will be indicated following the documents investigation by Jack Smith, the special counsel who is also overseeing a probe into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
While seemingly making reference to Trump's reluctance to turn over classified papers, former U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance tweeted that Pence not being charged "is what happens when you voluntarily return items to the govt, don't claim they're yours, hide them & lie about. Also: showing them off to others."
This is what happens when you voluntarily return items to the govt, don't claim they're yours, hide them & lie about. Also: showing them off to others. Confident this is a prelude to DOJ seeking charges against Trump for those reasons. https://t.co/Bu5BLfpx42
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) June 2, 2023
"Confident this is a prelude to DOJ seeking charges against Trump for those reasons," she added.
Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), also contrasted the difference between how Pence and Trump handled the issue of classified documents in their possession.
"It is appropriate that the Justice Department will not charge Mike Pence given that it was only a few documents, he apparently didn't know about them, and he has fully cooperated with the investigation—all of which is in marked contrast with Donald Trump," Bookbinder wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the conservative commentary Twitter account Politique Republic criticized the DOJ, claiming it was showing a "double standard."
"Presumably, the president [Biden] does not want to harm Pence's presidential campaign," the account tweeted.
Newsweek reached out to representatives for Trump and the Justice Department via email for comment.
About the writer
Jon Jackson is a News Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more