Interest in Pence's private, official emails will cost state $100K

Show Caption Hide Caption Why Mike Pence's email problem won't go away Remember that Mike Pence private email controversy? The vice president left behind about two dozen unfilled public records requests — most of them for his emails — when he left office as Indiana governor.

Interest in Vice President Mike Pence's emails as governor — especially his use of a private email account for public business — will cost Indiana taxpayers $100,000.

At the direction of Gov. Eric Holcomb, the state has signed a one-year contract with a private law firm to review and process public records requests.

According to the contract, "The firm will provide legal services pertaining to an unusually high number done and scope of public records requests received by the governor's office."

Most of the pending records requests in the governor's office since March are from media outlets asking for emails from Pence's personal AOL account that pertained to state business.

At the beginning of March, Pence's campaign attorneys delivered 13 boxes of emails on paper to the state following an IndyStar story that exposed Pence's routine use of a private email account for matters of state business, including sensitive security-related issues.

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Since then, Holcomb's office has been grappling with how to handle the new records and the dozens of public records requests that have poured in after the IndyStar story.

A portion of the requests are generic and ask for emails related to state business sent or received by Pence. Others have asked for emails from Pence's personal account relating to the 2016 election, voter fraud and RFRA.

Among those making requests were national reporters from the New York Times and Rewire, a publication that covers reproductive health issues.

IndyStar also has two requests pending since March.

The state will pay $100,000 to McNeely Stephenson, a Shelbyville-based law firm with offices in Indianapolis to help handle the public records requests — $30,000 this year and $70,000 in 2018.

The firm's managing partner, Lee McNeely, is a former Shelby County Republican Party chairman.

The law firm's work for the governor's office began 2½ weeks after Pence turned over the 13 boxes of paper copies of his emails.

Pence spokesman Marc Lotter has said the records contain emails to and from government accounts, as well as emails between Pence's AOL email account and other nonstate government email accounts. He has declined to characterize the emails beyond that.

Any email sent from Pence's AOL account to a state government agency already would exist on state servers. Stephanie Wilson, a spokeswoman for Holcomb, said Pence representatives have indicated they would provide any state-related materials electronically and are working to do so.

McNeely said his firm is working to obtain all the records in a digital format.

"Given the number and breadth of the (Access to Public Records Act) requests faced by our client, this is the most reasonable and efficient way to proceed," McNeely said.

Pence's campaign hired the Indianapolis law firm of Barnes & Thornburg to review his emails during his time as governor to ensure compliance with Indiana law. That review is ongoing.

"Vice President Pence's official documents related to his service as governor are being preserved in full compliance with state law," spokesman Marc Lotter said. "The vice president's counsel expects to conclude its work by the end of the month."

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Pence's emails became a subject of controversy when IndyStar disclosed in March that he had used a personal AOL account to conduct state business, sometimes discussing sensitive security issues.

Pence's office dismissed any comparison to Hillary Clinton's use of a private email account and server while U.S. secretary of state as "absurd."

But the personal account garnered criticism from advocates for open government because personal emails aren't immediately captured on state servers that are searched in response to public records requests, which could impact how long the state takes to fulfill records requests.

Call IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Call IndyStar reporter Kaitlin L. Lange at (812) 549-1429. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.