Trump says 'I'm at least as innocent as he is' after Pence won't face charges on classified documents

Former President Trump on Friday argued he should be cleared of wrongdoing for his handling of classified documents after the Justice Department said it would not bring charges against former Vice President Mike Pence on the issue, despite vast differences in their cases.

"Just announced that they are not going to bring charges against Mike Pence on the document hoax," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "That’s great, but when am I going to be fully exonerated, I’m at least as innocent as he is."

Trump questioned what would happen with President Biden, who is also facing a probe over his handling of classified materials.

The Justice Department has concluded its investigation into Pence’s handling of classified materials after a few sensitive documents were found at his home and will not bring charges, a source familiar with the matter said Friday.

Separate special counsels have been appointed to investigate whether Biden and Trump mishandled classified materials. In Pence’s case, no special counsel was ever appointed.

In Trump’s case, federal agents raided his Mar-a-Lago home last August after he refused to cooperate with the National Archives for months to turn over sensitive government materials he had taken with him after leaving the White House. 

Prosecutors investigating Trump’s possible mishandling of classified materials reportedly have obtained audio of the former president speaking in 2021 about a classified Pentagon document and indicating he was aware there were restrictions about who could view it.

In Biden’s case, classified documents from his time as vice president were discovered at an old Washington office, as well as at his Wilmington, Del., home. Biden’s team alerted federal authorities upon discovering the materials, though the White House did not immediately notify the public when the documents were first found.

In the case of Pence, officials searched his home in Indiana after the discovery of classified documents at Biden's home. They found a few classified materials and alerted federal officials. A separate search of Pence's offices in Washington, D.C., did not turn up any additional classified materials.