Former vice president Mike Pence, who was thrust into the spotlight during the last days of Donald Trump’s presidency, does not have a permanent place to live since leaving his official residence at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, according to reports.
Though in his farewell address Mr Pence announced he was moving back to his home state Indiana in the summer, he offered no details on the specifics of where he would move with his wife, Karen Pence.
Official records show Mr Pence, who grew up in Columbus, hasn’t owned a home in Indiana for at least the past eight years. Instead, political allies told Business Insider that the former second couple were “couch-surfing" at the residences of various Republican politicians in the state.
The Pences are currently believed to be staying in a cabin that the Indiana governor, Eric Holcomb, uses as a retreat, while two Republicans close to the former vice-president were quoted as saying they spent time at a home belonging to Mr Pence’s brother in Columbus.
Elected as an Indiana representative from 2001 to 2013, and then serving as governor of the state from 2013 to 2017, Mr Pence lived at the Indiana governor's residence in Indianapolis before moving to the vice presidential residence on the grounds of the US Naval Observatory in Washington in 2017.
The lack of concrete information around Mr Pence’s location is due in part to safety concerns arising out of the recent insurrection at the Capitol.
The mob that rampaged through the Capitol on 6 January wanted to kill Mr Pence for his role in certifying Joe Biden’s election victory, as well as house speaker Nancy Pelosi for the same reason, Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin said earlier this month in an interview with CNN.
The rioters, some of whom chanted "Where's Mike Pence?" and "Hang Mike Pence", came as close as within 100 feet of him during the Capitol siege.
While the Pences are still to settle on a residence outside of Washington, it has been confirmed that they will keep their Secret Service protection for at least another six months.
