Former Vice President Mike Pence told the New York Post that he is ready to "clean house" at the top of the Department of Justice, including firing FBI Director Christopher Wray on his first day in office, if he is elected.
The Republican presidential candidate also referred to Democratic mega-donor George Soros a "puppet master" in his interview with the Post.
"The American people have lost confidence in the Department of Justice," Pence said. "And if I'm president of the United States, on day one, we're going to clean house on the top floor of the Department of Justice and bring in a whole new group of people.”
According to the interview, the FBI director would be among those cleaning out their desks in January 2025.
Pence said the indictment of former President Donald Trump on federal charges for mishandling documents after he left the White House was "a sad day for our country," but he also said the indictment "includes serious charges, and I can't defend what is alleged."
As far as his own issue with classified documents discovered at his Indiana home after leaving office, Pence said he was "pleased" the DOJ determined it was "a mistake" and will not proceed with charges.
"I'm pleased that they concluded that it was an innocent mistake," he said. "But let me be clear: It was a mistake. I took full responsibility for it because the protection of classified materials of the United States is a very serious matter."
Classified materials similar to those included in the Trump case also have been found at several locations used by President Joe Biden, and the FBI found classified materials on a server at the home of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. Clinton was not charged. Special counsel Robert Hur's investigation of Biden is underway.
Pence, who is well behind Trump in GOP primary polling, running in only the single digits, said he was loyal to Trump until the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
"I'll always be proud of the record of the Trump administration," he said. "I was always loyal to President Trump ... right up until when my loyalty to the Constitution required me to do otherwise."
Pence said that Trump wanted him to deny the certification of 2020 presidential electors during the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, when protests and a riot broke out at the U.S. Capitol.