U.S. Justice Department says it won't charge Pence over handling of classified documents

The U.S. Department of Justice has informed former Vice President Mike Pence 's legal team that it will not pursue criminal charges related to the discovery of classified documents at his Indiana home.

The U.S. Department of Justice has informed former Vice President Mike Pence 's legal team that it will not pursue criminal charges related to the discovery of classified documents at his Indiana home.

The department sent a letter to Pence's attorney Thursday informing his team that, after an investigation into the potential mishandling of classified information, no criminal charges will be sought. A Justice Department official confirmed the authenticity of the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

The news comes days before Pence is set to launch his campaign for the Republican nomination for president in Iowa Wednesday -- a race that will put him in direct competition with his old boss, former U.S. President Donald Trump.

No evidence ever emerged suggesting that Pence intentionally hid any documents from the government or even knew they were in his home, so there was never an expectation that the former vice president would face charges. But the decision by the government and the timing are nonetheless good news for Pence's political team before his entry into the 2024 contest.

Attorney General Merrick Garland had named a special counsel to oversee the Justice Department's investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents, as well as Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, just three days after Trump formally launched his 2024 campaign -- an acknowledgment of the high political stakes.

Documents with classified markings were discovered at Pence's home in January after he asked his lawyers to search his vice presidential belongings. The items, which were promptly turned over to the FBI, "were inadvertently boxed and transported" to Pence's home at the end of the last administration, Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in a letter to the National Archives.

The FBI discovered an additional document with classified markings at the Indiana house during a search the following month.