Mike Pence Used Private Email Account to Conduct Indiana State Business

Former Indiana governor defended practice, saying he’s ‘very confident’ he complied with state law.

Vice President Mike Pence, who harshly criticized Democrat Hillary Clinton’s email practices during the 2016 presidential campaign, defended his own use of a personal email account for government business when he served as governor of Indiana.

“I’m very confident we are in full compliance with all of Indiana’s laws. And in my service as vice president I will continue that practice,” Mr. Pence, a Republican, said Friday following a report Thursday night in the Indianapolis Star about his use of a private email account when he was governor.

The office of Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, released 29 pages of emails containing about 15 email threads involving Mr. Pence’s personal AOL account. The governor’s office distributed the emails in response to a public-records request from the Indianapolis Star.

Last year, Mr. Pence criticized Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, for setting up a private server in her home and for sending emails from a nongovernment account when she served as secretary of state, saying it put sensitive national-security information at risk.

The vice president said Friday that his email practices were significantly different from Mrs. Clinton’s.

“There’s no comparison whatsoever between Hillary Clinton’s practice—having a private server, misusing classified information, destroying emails when they were requested by the Congress,” he said.

A representative for Mrs. Clinton couldn’t be reached for comment.

John Zody, chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party, described Mr. Pence’s use of a personal email as “reckless and unethical” in a statement.

“Pot meet kettle,” he said. “Vice President Mike Pence demonstrated the same ‘fast and loose ethics’ he railed against on the campaign trail last year.”

Marc Lotter, a spokesman for the vice president, said Mr. Pence used both a personal and a state account, which was a common practice by prior governors and legal under state law.

“The state requires if you’re going to do government work on personal email that it has to be archived,” Mr. Lotter said.

Before Mr. Pence stepped down as governor in January, he hired a law firm to review and preserve his emails so they could be archived in accordance with state law, Mr. Lotter said.

Mr. Lotter confirmed that Mr. Pence’s AOL account was compromised last spring by a phishing attack, and that his contacts were sent an email seeking money based on a false claim that the governor and his wife were stranded in the Philippines. Mr. Lotter said the account was immediately shut down and a new one opened with additional security measures.

Most of Mr. Pence’s emails consist of brief replies to staff updates.

More From The Wall Street Journal (subscription required):