Former vice president Mike Pence says that he doesn’t believe he took any classified information with him when he left office.
Mr Pence further called on the Justice Department to show “unprecedented transparency” as it investigates whether former President Donald Trump broke federal laws when he took top secret documents to Mar-a-Lago.
Mr Pence made the comments in an interview with the Associated Press during a visit to Iowa on Friday, as he mulls a run for president in 2024.
When asked if he held onto any classified information when he departed office, Mr Pence said: “No, not to my knowledge.”
He suggested that the investigation into Mr Trump could be politically motivated and said Merrick Garland should provide more details about the information that the FBI acted on.
“The concern that millions of Americans felt is only going to be resolved with daylight,” Mr Pence told the Associated Press.
“I know that’s not customary in an investigation. But this is unprecedented action by the Justice Department, and I think it merits an unprecedented transparency.”
While Mr Trump and his allies have used violent rhetoric to go after the Justice Department and federal agents over the Mar-a-Lago search warrant, Mr Pence appealed for Republicans to tamp down the threats earlier in the week.
“The Republican Party is the party of law and order,” Mr Pence said at an event in New Hampshire on Wednesday.
“Our party stands with the men and women who stand on the thin blue line at the federal and state and local level, and these attacks on the FBI must stop.”
He was heavily criticised for the remarks, with former White House adviser Steve Bannon calling him a “disgusting coward.”
Mr Pence visited the Iowa State Fair as part of a two-day trip to the state, a crucial stop for presidential candidates as it hosts the first Republican caucuses for the 2024 election.
Mr Pence told the Associated Press that he would make a decision about whether to run for the White House early next year.
His aides have said the decision will be made regardless of whether Mr Trump runs for the office again.
