Former vice president Mike Pence made an apparent U-turn in his thoughts on the indictment of his onetime boss, Donald Trump—telling The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board on Tuesday that he “can’t defend” the mishandling of classified documents Trump is accused of. “Having read the indictment, these are very serious allegations,” Pence said. “And I can’t defend what is alleged.” He added later: “Even the inadvertent release of that kind of information could compromise our national security and the safety of our armed forces. And, frankly, having two members of our immediate family serving in the armed forces of the United States, I will never diminish the importance of protecting our nation’s secrets.” Though the comments made it sound like Pence had changed his mind, the 2024 candidate also questioned the Department of Justice’s motives and said he would “clean house” at the agency if elected.
