The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has decided not to pursue charges against former Vice President Mike Pence in relation to his improper possession of classified materials, according to the New York Times.

Pence's lawyer received a letter from the DOJ on Thursday indicating as much.

The letter, in part, reads:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department’s National Security Division have conducted an investigation into the potential mishandling of classified information. Based on the results of that investigation, no criminal charges will be sought.

NBC News reports, "a Pence adviser told NBC that the former vice president and his team are pleased but not surprised by the investigation’s conclusion."

Background

Earlier this year, Pence's lawyers discovered that he had a "Small number" of classified documents in his possession - specifically at his home in Indiana.

This discovery came after classified documents were improperly found to be in President Joe Biden's possession. And, the discovery involving Biden came amid the classified documents dispute between the DOJ and former President Donald Trump.

Upon making the discovery, Pence's lawyer notified the National Archives of the situation and turned the classified materials over.

Then, the DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an investigation into the matter. As part of this investigation, Pence allowed the FBI to conduct a five-hour search of his Indiana residence. No other classified materials were found.

Now, it would appear that Pence is in the clear.

What about Trump?

Onlookers can not help but notice the glaring difference between the government's handling of the Biden and Pence classified documents cases and the Trump classified documents case. The most notable difference of all is that only Trump's home was raided.

Trump responded to the DOJ's clearing of Pence on Truth Social.

He wrote:

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

This remains to be seen.

In the meantime, NBC highlights the rather fortuitous timing of the DOJ's letter clearing Pence. Per the outlet:

The timing of the investigation’s ending is a relief to Pence, as he plans to announce his bid for president next week.