Pence says he didn't take classified material when he left office

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that he didn't take any classified material with him when he left the White House, the Associated Press reports.

Why it matters: The FBI seized multiple sets of classified and top secret documents from former President Trump's residence in Mar-a-Lago earlier this month.

Driving the news: When asked by AP about taking any classified information with him, Pence said, “No, not to my knowledge.”

• Pence said he didn't want to "prejudge" the FBI's raid at Trump's home "until we know all the facts.”
• He added the search may have been politically motivated and called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to release more information.

What they're saying: "The concern that millions of Americans felt is only going to be resolved with daylight," Pence said.

• "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."

State of play: The comments come amid an uptick in threats to federal law enforcement in the wake of the Mar-a-Lago raid.

• Trump recently called for the "temperature ... to be brought down" after the FBI search.
• Pence previously said he had "deep concern" over the "unprecedented search" at Mar-a-Lago, Axios' Alayna Treene writes.

What we're watching: Pence made these comments from Iowa during a two-day trip. It's a part of a broader tour he's making to early voting states, a sign of a potential 2024 presidential run, per AP.

Go deeper: Trump's 2024 boost