Trump says he’s as innocent as Pence in classified document scandal.

Trump Claims Innocence After DOJ Declines to Charge Pence

Former President Donald Trump declared that he was “at least as innocent” as his former vice president, Mike Pence, on Friday after the Department of Justice declined to bring charges against Pence for the alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Despite being the subject of a special counsel investigation related to classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago resort last year, Trump claimed he should also be exonerated of any wrongdoing that’s tied to the documents.

One Question for Trump Could Determine the Race for the 2024 GOP Nomination

“Just announced that they are not going to bring charges against Mike Pence on the document hoax,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “That’s great, but when am I going to be fully exonerated, I’m at least as innocent as he is. And what about [President] Joe Biden, who is hiding at least 1850 boxes, and some located in Chinatown, DC? When will the witch hunt against ‘TRUMP’ stop?”

The Justice Department recently concluded its investigation into a handful of classified documents discovered at Pence’s Indiana home earlier this year. The investigation was significantly different than the FBI raid of Trump’s Florida resort last August, which revealed hundreds of top secret or classified documents that were improperly stored.

Biden is also the focus of a special counsel investigation. Classified documents from the time he served as President Barack Obama’s vice president were discovered at an office in Washington, D.C., and his home in Wilmington, Delaware. The president reportedly alerted the proper authorities upon the discovery in November, but he did not tell the public until after the midterm elections.

In Trump’s case, the FBI raid came after the National Archives and Records Administration allegedly attempted to retrieve the missing documents from the former president for months. Trump has claimed that he declassified the documents when he left the Oval Office, but that has not been proven. The DOJ has not determined whether Biden or Trump will face any charges.

2024 Presidential Race

The decision to not press charges against Pence comes ahead of the former veep’s expected entrance into the 2024 presidential race next week. Pence currently polls in third or fourth place for the Republican primaries, with Trump steadily in the lead. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is in second and is considered the biggest threat to Trump.

• Trump claims innocence after DOJ declines to charge Pence
• Trump questions when he will be fully exonerated
• Biden is also the focus of a special counsel investigation
• Decision to not press charges against Pence comes ahead of his expected entrance into the 2024 presidential race

Will Trump’s ongoing legal issues affect his chances in the 2024 presidential race? Only time will tell.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases