Jill Colvin, Associated Press

The issue has taken on greater significance since Donald Trump willfully retained classified material at his Florida estate, prompting the unprecedented FBI seizure of thousands of pages of records.

Pence’s lawyer said that Pence had been “unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence” until a search last week.

Trump had hoped to use the GOP’s expected gains in last week’s elections as a springboard to vault himself to his party’s nomination but instead finds himself being blamed for backing a series of losing candidates after Republicans failed to take control of the Senate.

Speaking at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington, Pence addressed the growing gulf between traditional conservatives and a new generation of populist candidates inspired, in part, by former President Donald Trump.

The former president said he was serving as lead plaintiff in class-action suits, claiming he has been wrongfully censored by the companies.

While polls have found vaccine hesitancy falling overall, opposition among Republicans remains stubbornly strong.

The president’s team wrapped up its presentation Friday afternoon after characterizing the impeachment case as a politically motivated “witch hunt.”

Former President Trump fumed that his attorneys’ performance on the opening day of his second impeachment trial was a disaster, as allies and Republican senators questioned their strategy.

Democrats opened Tuesday by showing the former president whipping up a rally crowd, followed by graphic video of the deadly attack. Sen. Murkowski joined Democrats in voting to move forward.

The trial will begin in earnest Tuesday with a debate and vote on whether it’s even constitutional to prosecute the former president.

The request from House impeachment managers make clear their intent to present an aggressive case against the former president even though he has left the White House.

Many Republicans refuse to publicly defend Trump’s role in sparking the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. But as the Senate prepares for an impeachment trial for Trump’s incitement of the riot, few seem willing to hold the former president accountable.

His presidency over, Donald Trump bid farewell to Washington on Wednesday but also hinted at a comeback despite a legacy of chaos, tumult and bitter division in the country he led for four years.

Trump spent much of the address trumpeting what he sees as his top achievements, including efforts to normalize relations in the Middle East, the development of coronavirus vaccinations and the creation of a new Space Force.

President Trump for the first time acknowledged his defeat in the Nov. 3 election and announced there would be an “orderly transition on January 20th.”