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Mike Pence says he wasn’t aware of any ‘broad-based effort’ by Trump to declassify documents

'But that doesn’t mean it didn’t occur. I just – it’s not something that I ever heard about,' he added

Mike Pence says he wasn’t aware of any ‘broad-based effort’ by Trump to declassify documents

'But that doesn’t mean it didn’t occur. I just – it’s not something that I ever heard about,' he added

So, yeah, January 6th was *** tragic day and I've spoken and written about it extensively. I have nothing to hide by God's grace. I believe we did our duty that day fulfill the oath that I had taken to the constitution and to the American people. And irrespective of the indictment, I want the American people to know that I had no right to overturn the election. And then on that day, President Trump asked me to put him over the constitution, but I chose the constitution and I always will. And I, I um I really do believe that anyone who puts himself over the constitution should never be president of the United States. And anyone who asks someone else to put themselves under the constitution should never be president of the United States again. Sadly, the president was surrounded by *** group of crackpot lawyers that kept telling him what his itching ears wanted to hear. And while I made my case to him, of what I understood my oath to the constitution to require the president, ultimately ultimately continued to demand that I choose him over the constitution. Now, with regard to the substance of the indictment. I've been very clear. I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. I had hoped that this issue and the judgment of the President's actions that day would be left to the American people. But now it's been brought in *** criminal indictment and I can't assess whether or not the government has the evidence to prove beyond *** reasonable doubt what they assert in the indictment. And the president is entitled to *** presumption of innocence. But for my part, I want people to know that I had no right to overturn the election and that what the president maintained that day and frankly has said over and over again over the last 2.5 years is completely false.
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Mike Pence says he wasn’t aware of any ‘broad-based effort’ by Trump to declassify documents

'But that doesn’t mean it didn’t occur. I just – it’s not something that I ever heard about,' he added

(above video contains previous coverage)Former Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday he wasn’t aware of any “broad-based effort” by Donald Trump to declassify documents before leaving the White House.“There is a process that the White House goes through to declassify materials. I’m aware of that occurring on several occasions over the course of our four years. But I don’t have any knowledge of any broad-based directive from the president,” Pence told ABC News Sunday. “But that doesn’t mean it didn’t occur. I just – it’s not something that I ever heard about,” he added. Trump was indicted on seven counts in June as part of the Justice Department’s probe into the former president’s handling of classified documents that were brought to his Mar-a-Lago Florida resort after he left the White House in 2021 – as well as possible obstruction of the investigation and government efforts to retrieve the material.Classified records are supposed to be stored in secure locations. And under the Presidential Records Act, White House records are supposed to go to the National Archives when an administration ends.Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Since announcing his White House bid earlier this year, Pence has rebuked Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but he’s been careful about extending his criticism beyond that. Pence hasn’t ruled out pardoning the former president, and he told CNN late last month that while Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 were reckless, he’s not yet convinced that they were criminal.Asked what his strategy is going to be on the debate stage Wednesday, Pence said Sunday: “I’m just going to be me.” “I feel like I’ve been preparing for this first Republican presidential debate my whole life.”

(above video contains previous coverage)

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday he wasn’t aware of any “broad-based effort” by Donald Trump to declassify documents before leaving the White House.

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“There is a process that the White House goes through to declassify materials. I’m aware of that occurring on several occasions over the course of our four years. But I don’t have any knowledge of any broad-based directive from the president,” Pence told ABC News Sunday.

“But that doesn’t mean it didn’t occur. I just – it’s not something that I ever heard about,” he added.

Trump was indicted on seven counts in June as part of the Justice Department’s probe into the former president’s handling of classified documents that were brought to his Mar-a-Lago Florida resort after he left the White House in 2021 – as well as possible obstruction of the investigation and government efforts to retrieve the material.

Classified records are supposed to be stored in secure locations. And under the Presidential Records Act, White House records are supposed to go to the National Archives when an administration ends.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Since announcing his White House bid earlier this year, Pence has rebuked Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but he’s been careful about extending his criticism beyond that.

Pence hasn’t ruled out pardoning the former president, and he told CNN late last month that while Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 were reckless, he’s not yet convinced that they were criminal.

Asked what his strategy is going to be on the debate stage Wednesday, Pence said Sunday: “I’m just going to be me.”

“I feel like I’ve been preparing for this first Republican presidential debate my whole life.”