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Tony Cook, The Indianapolis Star Published 3:57 p.m. ET March 3, 2017 | Updated 7:11 p.m. ET March 3, 2017

Vice President Mike Pence reportedly used a private email account to conduct public business, including homeland security matters, while he was governor of Indiana. Records of the emails were obtained by IndyStar through a public records request. Dwight Adams/IndyStar

Vice President-elect Mike Pence speaks Nov. 10, 2016, during a welcome-home rally at Indianapolis International Airport.(Photo: Jenna Watson, The Indianapolis Star)

INDIANAPOLIS The Indianapolis Star has been engaged in a long-running effort to obtain emails from Vice President Mike Pences personal AOL account.

The controversy over his use of a private email account exploded Thursday, but the story has its roots in another batch of emails.

In 2014, The Star was investigating a possible conflict of interest involving Seema Verma, a powerful state health-care consultant who was simultaneously working for one of the states largest Medicaid contractors. Verma is now President Trumps pick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In conjunction with that investigation, reporters requested emails involving Verma and one of Pences cabinet members with whom she butted heads.

About nine months later well after the paper published its report on Verma the Pence administration provided nearly 1,500 pages of emails.

Related:Pence used personal email for state business and was hacked Related:Here are some of Mike Pence's AOL emails

Tucked among them was an email to Pences personal AOL account from a low-level Pence staffer who was forwarding a news clip from the local business journal.At that time, it was not known whether he used the personal email address routinely for state business or to discuss sensitive issues.

The use of private emails to conduct public business later exploded as a major presidential campaign issue. Thats when The Star filed a public records request seeking emails from Pences personal account.

What ensued was a monthslong effort to access those records.

Related:Mike Pence: 'No comparison' between his, Clinton's email practices Related:Photo captures Hillary Clinton reading about Pence's emails

In September, reporters requested all emails between Pences AOL account and any state government account, but his administration declined to fulfill that request, arguing it was too broad. The Indianapolis Star narrowed its request, but the administration again argued it was too broad.

In a third public records query, the request was narrowed to meet the administrations parameters that it name a specific sender and recipient, include a date range of no more than six months and specify search terms.

Pences office accepted that request. On Oct. 27, Shelley Triol, Pences communications director, said, We will send responsive records on a rolling basis as they are located and reviewed for confidential material.

Related:Mike Pence asks Indiana high courtto stay out of his redacted emails Related:With Pence gone, fellow Republicans undo his work in Indiana

But Pences office never provided any records.

In the weeks before he left the governors office, the paper filed a complaint with the public access counselor arguing that the administration had failed to provide the records in a timely manner and expressing concerns about how the records request would be fulfilled since the incoming administration would have no access to Pences personal email account.

The access counselor decided in the states favor, arguing that Pences transition to the White House presented extenuating circumstances.

Related:Pence vows Senate vote on high court nominee 'one way or the other' Related:Elusive funding for Pences bicentennial projects dogs his home state

Despite the setback, Star reporters continued to pursue the records under the new administration of Gov. Eric Holcomb.

Late last week, Holcomb's office released 29 pages of emailsbut withheld an unknown number of others, arguing they are exempt from Indiana's records laws.

The Indianapolis Star continues to pursue additional recordsas well as more information about those that the Holcomb administration is withholding.

Follow Tony Cook on Twitter:@indystartony

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Indiana took months to reveal Mike Pence emails - USA TODAY

Then-Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana speaks at a press conference in 2015. Under Indiana law, public officials are allowed to use personal email accounts; the practice can help them avoid using official accounts to conduct political business.

Vice President Pence used a private AOL account to conduct official business in his former position as the governor of Indiana, according to public records. And at one point, the account was hacked and used to send fraudulent emails seeking money from his contacts.

Pence used the account to communicate with advisers about issues including homeland security in Indiana and the security of the gates at the governor's mansion, The Indianapolis Star reports.

The newspaper says it obtained 29 pages of email records from current Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb's office in response to a public records request.

Under Indiana law, public officials are allowed to use personal email accounts and the practice can help them avoid using official accounts to conduct political business. As the Star notes, the law is "generally interpreted" to require public officials to save any emails related to official business in order to follow open records laws. A Pence spokesman says the vice president complied with that requirement.

Pence's AOL account was compromised by a standard phishing attack in late spring of 2016, a Trump administration official tells NPR's Tamara Keith. The breach became public knowledge when everyone in his contacts list received emails claiming that the governor and his wife were stranded in the Philippines and needed money.

Private email accounts are usually less secure than government accounts and are not preserved for use in public records in the same way. When Pence's account was compromised, he shut it down and switched to a more secure system and then to another when he took on a national role, administration officials tell NPR.

Responding to reports about the personal email account, the vice president's press secretary, Marc Lotter, issued a statement saying that just as other governors had done, Pence "maintained a state email account and a personal email account."

Addressing the question of where those emails are now, Lotter says that as he prepared to work in Washington, Pence "directed outside counsel to review all of his communications to ensure that state-related emails are being transferred and properly archived by the state."

Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, both Pence and then-candidate Donald Trump repeatedly criticized Hillary Clinton for using a private server and private email for State Department business. Appearing on Meet the Press in September, Pence said Clinton was keeping her communications "out of the public reach, out of public accountability."

During the vice presidential debate in October, Pence alluded to the security concerns of using unofficial email systems, claiming that Clinton's email server "was subject to being hacked by foreign governments."

Pence's own email had been hacked earlier that year.

Pence spokesman Lotter told the Star that comparing the former governor's email use to Clinton's is "absurd," because Pence did not handle classified information on the federal level as governor. He also said that Pence was using a publicly available email service and did not have a home private server as Clinton did.

Some of Pence's emails were deemed too sensitive to be released as part of the Star's public records request. Security experts told the paper that hackers were likely able to access Pence's inbox and sent emails, which could have included those same sensitive documents.

Lotter told the AP that the law firm Barnes & Thornburg is currently reviewing Pence's communications as governor and that contact between Pence and his aides who were using government email accounts would be automatically archived.

NPR's Tamara Keith contributed to this report.

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Mike Pence Used AOL Email For State Business As Indiana's Governor - WFYI

Colin Flaherty is an award winning writer whose work has been published in more than 1000 places around the globe, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, Washington Post, Bloomberg Business Week, Time magazine, and others.

He is the author of "White Girl Bleed a Lot: The Return of Racial Violence and How the Media Ignore It."

An #1Amazon Best Seller

Thomas Sowell: "Reading Colin Flaherty's book made painfully clear to me that the magnitude of this problem is greater than I had discovered from my own research. He documents both the race riots and the media and political evasions in dozens of cities." - National Review.

Bretibart.com: Prescient. Ahead of the News. Garnering attention and sparking important d

He is the author of "White Girl Bleed a Lot: The Return of Racial Violence and How the Media Ignore It."

An #1Amazon Best Seller

Thomas Sowell: "Reading Colin Flaherty's book made painfully clear to me that the magnitude of this problem is greater than I had discovered from my own research. He documents both the race riots and the media and political evasions in dozens of cities." - National Review.

Bretibart.com: Prescient. Ahead of the News. Garnering attention and sparking important discussions.

Allen West: At least author Colin Flaherty is tackling this issue (or racial violence) in his new book, White Girl Bleed a Lot: The Return of Racial Violence to America and How the Media Ignore it.

David Horowitz : A determined reporter, Colin Flaherty, broke ranks to document these rampages in a book titled, White Girl Bleed A Lot

Daily Caller : As the brutal knockout game sweeps across the U.S., one author isnt surprised by the attacks or the media reaction. Colin Flaherty, author of the book White Girl Bleed A Lot: The Return of Racial Violence to America and How The Media Ignore It, began chronicling the new wave of violence nearly a year ago revealing disturbing racial motivations behind the attacks and a pattern of media denial.

Alex Jones of Inforwars.com: "Brilliant. I could not put it down."

From the Bill Cunningham show. It is official: "A wonderful book. Colin Flaherty is a great American."

Neal Boortz: "ColinFlaherty has become Public Enemy No.1 to the leftist media because of the research he's done on the black culture of violence."

WND.com: "Colin Flaherty has done more reporting than any other journalist on what appears to be a nationwide trend of skyrocketing black-on-white crime, violence and abuse."

Milt Rosenberg, WGN: "My compliments to Colin Flaherty for White Girl Bleed a Lot. A very interesting book that points out an important problem that needs to be confronted."

The Houston Examiner said the book was "magic" because "it will give you clarity on why "flash mobs" are such a troublesome issue for American media, politicans and polite conversation."

Jason Lewis called it an "an important and explosive book."

Talk show host Jesse Lee Peterson said: "You must read this book."

Dan Auld, named top columnist of the year from both the San Diego Press Club and Society of Professional Journalists, said "This is a challenging book. An interesting and powerful and ultimately persuasive book by a great American writer not afraid to look at one of the most thought about but unspoken features of American life."

Scott Thompson of CHML radio said it was an "important and serious" book.

He is also the author of Redwood to Deadwood: a 53-year old dude hitchhikes around America. Again.

"Great book by a great guy" -- Marc Middleton, NPR.

"Ultimately, every travel book is a journey of self discovery. And so is this--much like Bill Byrson's A Walk in in the Woods, Keraouc's On the Road, or even Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: You feel as if you are there with him. And this book belongs on the same shelf.

"Great book by a great San American writer." -- John Sryker Meyer, author of the best selling Viet Nam book: "Across the Fence."

What the major media says about Colin Flaherty:

Washington Post. In June 2011, Colin Flaherty won First Place in the Washington Post Spy Novel Writer's contest. He is the only two-time winner. David Ignatius, best selling author and Washington Post editor, said Flaherty's writing was his "strong favorite," and was "very deft."

Said the Washington Post: "Ignatius was impressed by Flahe

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Colin Flaherty (Author of White Girl Bleed a Lot)

Mar. 5: Dog sleds, Kaepernick and Chase bank

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Sunday, March 5, 2017, 3:00 AM

Las Vegas: With increasing public awareness about the treatment and conditions of animals used in various entertainment venues and recreational pastimes, its time the Iditarod was exposed for what it is: animal cruelty.

Dogs are exploited for monetary gain, which is nothing new. The conditions to which they are subjected, the injuries they often sustain, and their treatment by some owners should have turned off fans by the hordes, if we care about animals and their well being.

These creatures are not machines and have no voice or choice in their fate, but we do. We can refuse to contribute towards and subsidize their misery by not supporting these races.

We should ask ourselves how we would feel if our own companion animals were forced to endure what these dogs have. Annoula Wylderich

Manhattan: President Trumps address to Congress explained his intention to increase military spending and strengthen national security. This cannot effectively protect the U.S. from international conflict and terrorist threat and will not solve the current chaotic situation. Instead, increasing the international affairs budget is a better way to help promote development and democracy in currently unstable areas and thus help establish stable, developed, democratic regimes where conflict and violence rarely occur. If the President could increase the international affairs budget instead of increasing military spending, this problem of international conflict could be better addressed. Fighting global poverty is a more effective way to fight terrorism. Xiying Huangfu

Ormond Beach, Fla.: Regarding U.S. adults with hearing loss projected to nearly double from 2020 to 2060 (March 2), I have two questions. Will hearing aid manufacturers price their absurdly overpriced instruments more affordably in response, or follow the pharmaceutical companies lead with a manic gouging binge? And second, will insurance conglomerates finally recognize hearing loss as an insurable disease severe enough to affect employment and offer appropriate coverage? Given corporate ethics, both questions are probably rhetorical. Tom Johnson

Lincoln Park, N.J.: I read the story in the Daily News about former New York Mets first baseman Ed Kranepool needing a kidney transplant. As a Mets fan (and human being), I am very sorry to hear this awful news. The story infers his medical costs will be out of pocket and he is preparing to auction off his 1969 championship ring and other memorabilia. How does he not have, at age 72, Medicare and a supplement like the rest of us? Keith Remland

Woodmere, L.I.: Former Vice President Joe Biden must be thrilled to learn that his son is hooking up with his daughter-in-law. Ah, the joys of incest. A real classy move. Elaine Savino

Manhattan: I agree with Voicer Charlotte Dinowitz that mentally ill individuals should not be able to buy guns. In fact, no one should be able to buy guns. Buying guns should be illegal. The killing of innocent victims must end, and now! Our children need to grow up on safe streets, and not to be afraid to walk on the streets. Amy Rosenfeld

Howard Beach: So a bikini model runs a $2 million identity theft scam and only gets a slap on the wrist? If any one of us were to do that, wed be facing mandatory jail time! But I guess she learned her lesson (snicker). Jairo Baez

Barrie, Ontario: What has Colin Kaepernick done to support the victims of black-on-black crime? Far more victims are assaulted by people who look just like them. By supporting these victims, he would have to admit this fact. The site DNAinfo Chicago shows that the victims of crime are mostly black or Hispanic. Very few are white or Asian victims. So is Kaepernick going to face facts and admit what so many choose to ignore? Eileen Herbert

Beijing: Its not required to fall upon your career sword to be counted among the courageous and principled (Colin Kaepernick a hypocrite as he ends national anthem protest now that he needs a new job , March 2). Colin Kaepernick performed his duty to his views and to country. He did so non-violently and clearly at a time when attention needed to be focused on what seemed to be an epidemic of questionable slayings. In fact, if Kaepernick sticks to only playing football from now on, hes displayed more patriotic courage in one season than most of us in all our years. My hats off to him. Prof. William Poy Lee, Beijing Foreign Studies University

Manhattan: College professors have too much idle time on their hands and are making a mountain out of a molehill. Why dont they stick to fighting violent crimes rather than wasting time fighting Kellyanne Conway? And how is she a danger? (Law professors seek sanctions against Kellyanne Conway over conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, Feb. 27). Colleges charge ungodly tuitions to pay these instructors ridiculously high salaries for a low amount of work hours in return. I have known Ivy League professors and I know the sham. My husband and I broke our backs financially as we sent our four daughters to elite schools. Professors are having fun on the gravy train thanks to us. The system needs closer scrutiny. Paula Flaherty

Yorba Linda, Calif.: I really like Abby Lee Miller and I am hoping for no jail time for her and that she is able to continue with her show Dance Moms, which I love. There is nothing else like it on TV to watch. Lisa Folenta

Ozone Park: Our new Attorney General Jeff Sessions was intimidated by a question from our notoriously tough Sen. Al Franken. Gee, what would Sessions do if confronted with contentious, real-life situations? He should be gone, as his spine seems to be as weak as a sagging spring mattress. Ray Hackinson

New Fairfield, Conn.: Evan Grossman wrote an excellent, thoughtful, thorough rebuke to Mike Francescas views on the ability of women coaches (Mike Francesas clueless, sexist rant about Becky Hammon shows how narrow-minded many in sports are, March 2). Its not as if women havent demonstrated their talents and abilities in every field imaginable to convince people they deserve a chance. Its the same prejudice used to prevent African-Americans from becoming quarterbacks. What is Francesa afraid of? Join this century. Michael Galleano

Raleigh, N.C.: In my opinion, President Trump criticizing Sen. Chuck Schumer is fake news (President Trump slams total hypocrite Schumer for past meetings with Putin, March 3). Who cares what Trump says or thinks? Every word that comes out of his mouth, Jeff Sessions mouth, Kellyanne Conways mouth and, of course, Sean Spicers mouth, are flat-out lies. The Daily News prints this stuff as if they are being truthful. Having the responsibility of holding these people accountable, your publication is failing badly. Robin Grant

Bellmore, L.I.: Ive been buying and the Daily News since it cost three cents when The News had the largest circulation in the country. Articles were based on investigation and written without bias, just the facts. Commentary was on the editorial page. What happened to The News? Now it has become a scandal sheet, an arm of the Democratic Party with a falling circulation. At this rate, it wouldnt be long before The News ceases to exist. John J. Ferrante

Woodhaven: I got a letter from JPMorgan Chase Bank that starting March 28, they will be charging a fee that begins at $18.95 to order checks. So low to middle income families without Chases Premier Platinum Checking will now be paying for checks. Is one of the biggest banks so in need of cash that it would start taking more from the low and middle class or is this to curb regular people from having accounts with Chase? I guess Jamie Dimons million-dollar bonuses must came from someone why their loyal customers? For shame. Thomas Schineller

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Readers sound off on dog sleds, Kaepernick and Chase bank - New York Daily News

"Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" Trump tweeted early Saturday morning in one part of a six-tweet tirade that began just after 6:30 a.m.

The President went on to compare the alleged tapping of his phones to Watergate and called Obama "bad (or "sick)."

"How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy," Trump tweeted.

But two former senior US officials quickly dismissed Trump's accusations out of hand.

"Just nonsense," said one former senior US intelligence official.

Another former senior US official with direct knowledge of investigations by the Justice Department under the Obama administration said Trump's phones were never tapped.

"This did not happen. It is false. Wrong," the former official told CNN.

A spokesman for Obama, Kevin Lewis, called "any suggestion" that Obama or any White House official ordered surveillance against Trump "simply false."

"A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice," Lewis said in a statement early Saturday afternoon. "As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false."

The former senior US official with direct knowledge of the Justice Department's investigations said Obama could not have ordered such a warrant. It would have been taken to a judge by investigators, but investigators never sought a warrant to monitor Trump's phones, the former official said.

A federal judge would only have approved a warrant to wiretap Trump's phones if he or she had found probable cause that Trump had committed a federal crime or was a foreign agent.

Former Obama deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes echoed the point in a tweet responding to Trump on Saturday morning.

"No President can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you," he said in his Twitter post.

Warrants to tap into someone's phones in the course of a federal investigation would be sought by the Department of Justice, which conducts investigations independent of the White House and the President.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, an independent and secretive federal court, is responsible for issuing surveillance warrants in cases concerning foreign intelligence. The FBI has been investigating contacts between Trump campaign advisers and Russians known to US intelligence, and that court would likely be the forum to petition for such a warrant.

When asked if the White House is seeking any possible FISA court documentation to back up the President's claims, several senior administration officials confirmed to CNN that White House Counsel Donald McGahn "is reviewing what options, if any, are available to us." But White House officials could not say whether any such documentation exists.

There is no evidence such a document on surveillance of Trump himself exists, according to sources with knowledge of the situation whom CNN spoke to Saturday.

The FISA court's records are some of the most secretive intelligence documents. The White House could seek possible records from the Justice Department. If it did that, it would be unheard of and a breach of protocol, University of Texas law professor Steve Vladeck, an expert on national security law, told CNN. Protocol has dictated that the Justice Department would be insulated from such White House requests for these types of documents.

The New York Times first reported on McGahn's review.

A senior administration official in Washington said colleagues learned of the tweet storm about Obama only after Trump sent them. They were not expecting the President to make any news this morning before golfing in Palm Beach, Florida.

The official said they don't believe Trump is trying to get ahead of any particular story that's about to come out, but rather he is furious about how the Russia storyline is playing out.

The official pointed to a story on the conservative website Breitbart News that was circulating in the West Wing, which followed up on comments from radio talk show Mark Levin claiming Obama worked to undermine Trump's presidential campaign and his administration, including various investigations on Russia and possible ties between Russians and Trump associates.

That story infuriated him, the official said.

Trump's tweets Saturday morning are just the latest in a string of wild accusations he has made since taking office that either directly contradicted the facts or lacked evidence to substantiate his claims, and they come just days after Trump was widely praised for the unifying tone of his joint address to Congress.

While past presidents have spoken prudently about sensitive matters to ensure that any claims they make are backed up by carefully vetted facts, Trump has instead maintained his pre-presidency style: one defined by unsubstantiated claims bellowed off the cuff or tweeted at odd hours of the day.

Trump has made dozens of verifiably false or misleading claims since taking office, often with an eye on gaining a political advantage or blunting criticism.

The President has repeatedly trumpeted the debunked claim that millions of illegal votes were cast in the 2016 election and accused journalists of inventing a rift between him and the US intelligence community, despite his own statements to that effect.

And last month, he accused a Democratic senator of misrepresenting his Supreme Court nominee's criticism of him, even after the nominee's White House-appointed spokesman corroborated the senator's account of the conversation.

Meanwhile, Trump and his advisers have falsely accused the media of leading a "fake news" campaign to smear his presidency, all the while arguing in favor of "alternative facts."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who has been critical of Trump, said during a town hall forum Saturday that he didn't know if Trump's claim was true, but said he was "very worried" about the allegation.

"I'm very worried. I'm very worried that our President is suggesting that the former President's done something illegally," Graham said. "I would be very worried if in fact the Obama administration was able to obtain a warrant lawfully about Trump campaign activity with foreign governments. So it's my job as a United States senator to get to the bottom of this. I promise you I will."

California Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, which is also probing the scope of Russia's influence on the US election, said in a statement Saturday afternoon in reference to one of Trump's tweets: "If there is something bad or sick going on, it is the willingness of the nation's chief executive to make the most outlandish and destructive claims without providing a scintilla of evidence to support them.

"No matter how much we hope and pray that this President will grow into one who respects and understands the Constitution, separation of powers, role of a free press, responsibilities as the leader of the free world, or demonstrates even the most basic regard for the truth, we must now accept that President Trump will never become that man," Schiff said.

Amid criticism that Trump's allegations were meritless, one GOP senator called on Trump to release proof about his accusation, saying the President's allegations were "very serious."

Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, a frequent Trump critic, said the President should publicly release the FISA Court order that would have been needed if his phones were legally tapped by the government.

And, if Trump believes his phones were illegally monitored, he "should explain what sort of wiretap it was and how he knows this," Sasse said in a statement.

"We are in the midst of a civilization-warping crisis of public trust, and the President's allegations today demand the thorough and dispassionate attention of serious patriots," Sasse said. "A quest for the full truth, rather than knee-jerk partisanship, must be our guide if we are going to rebuild civic trust and health."

This story has been updated to reflect new developments. CNN's Jim Acosta, Eugene Scott, Jim Sciutto and Jason Hanna contributed to this report.

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Trump's baseless wiretap claim - CNN