Classified documents were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence's home and turned over to the FBI for review.
The FBI and the Department of Justice's National Security Division are reportedly reviewing the Pence documents.
Reports say a lawyer representing Pence searched Pence's house in Indiana last week and discovered roughly a dozen classified materials. The search was conducted proactively in response to news that classified documents from his presidency had been discovered in Joe Biden's home and old office at the Penn Biden Center, a Washington, D.C. think tank.
CNN was the first to report the discovery of confidential documents at Pence's residence.
A representative for Pence stated in a letter delivered last week to the National Archives that Pence had hired outside counsel on January 16 to review records kept at his residence. A lawyer discovered a "small number of documents that could potentially contain sensitive or classified information interspersed throughout the records" during that review.
Greg Jacob, the representative and attorney for Pence, stated in the letter that the counsel was unable to give a precise description of the briefing papers or folders because they skipped over the contents after understanding they would have classified marks.
According to Jacob, the materials appeared to have been "inadvertently boxed and transported" to Pence's home and he had been "unaware" of their presence.
Pence, according to Jacob, is "willing to cooperate fully with the National Archives and any appropriate inquiry."
Pence is the third high-profile official to have classified material uncovered at their home in recent months, following President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, both of whom are currently being investigated by special counsels under the Department of Justice.
Biden's counsel has highlighted that they sought to return the classified documents as soon as they were discovered, beginning in November, though the president has been chastised for not addressing the problem publicly until earlier this month.
Federal officials searched former president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in August following what the federal government claimed was a months-long campaign to recover records that Trump resisted handing over. Trump has denied misconduct and claimed that he declassified the documents without providing any supporting information.
Four boxes of administration papers, including two boxes of papers with classified markings and "two separate boxes containing courtesy copies" of Pence's vice presidential records, were listed by Jacob in his letter.
At his Indiana residence in November, Pence was questioned by ABC News about whether he had taken any confidential documents from the White House.
"I did not," Pence answered.
"Well, there'd be no reason to have classified documents, particularly if they were in an unprotected area," Pence continued. "But I will tell you that I believe there had to be many better ways to resolve that issue than executing a search warrant at the personal residence of a former president of the United States."
