Former Vice-President Mike Pence told the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board that he “can’t defend” Trump against the “very serious” allegations in a federal indictment over his mishandling of classified documents.
“Having read the indictment, these are very serious allegations. And I can’t defend what is alleged,” Pence said. “But the President is entitled to his day in court, he’s entitled to bring a defense, and I want to reserve judgment until he has the opportunity to respond.”
Pence noted that the indictment said the documents Trump retained at Mar-a-Lago “were documents pertaining to the defense capabilities of the United States and our allies, our nuclear program, to potential vulnerabilities of the United States and our allies” and “could compromise our national security and the safety of our armed forces” if they were made public.
Despite this, Pence suggested that politics was a factor in the Department of Justice’s decision to charge Trump.
“After years of politicization, it’s hard for me to believe that politics didn’t play some role in this decision,” he said.
Trump was indicted on 37 counts, including false statements, conspiracy to obstruct and willful retention of national defense information in connection with the special counsel investigation into whether he mishandled classified documents after leaving office.
Trump made his first appearance in federal court on Tuesday where he pleaded not guilty to all counts.
