This week in politics: More classified documents highlights bigger problem, Senate hearing on Ticketmaster fiasco

The discovery of classified documents in the home of a former vice president was once again one of the week's biggest headlines — except this time it was the home of former Vice President Mike Pence where the pages were found. Experts say this latest development highlights the wider issue, which is that the system of handling these documents is in desperate need of improvement.

Former President Donald Trump's own document troubles were overshadowed this week by what analysts have said might be his most serious legal threat. A public hearing in Fulton County, Georgia was held Tuesday, after a grand jury's eight-month investigation into Trump on a series of charges related to election fraud.

Over on the Hill, lawmakers in both chambers were back this week and holding the first hearings of the new Congress. The Senate Judicial Committee kicked off with an investigation into Ticketmaster and the lack of competition in the ticket industry, after the Taylor Swift concert ticket fiasco last fall.

What happened this week in politics?

• The Indiana home of former Vice President Mike Pence became the latest site for the discovery of classified documents, drawing attention to more widespread issues with how classified presidential materials are managed.

• A judge in Fulton County, Georgia delayed ruling on the public release of a grand jury's report on its investigation into Trump and election fraud allegations.

• A handful of candidates have announced their intent to run for Senate seats in 2024, including some for reelection.

• The federal government took on monopolies, with a Senate hearing investigation into Ticketmaster and the DOJ's antitrust lawsuit against Google.

More classified documents found

The FBI retrieved what Pence's lawyer called a "small number" of classified documents from his home in Indiana. This comes after a series of discoveries in President Joe Biden's personal home and office — the latest found just last weekend — along with a months-long investigation into Trump's document mishandling.

Security analysts say this points to the bigger issue: the current system for managing and safeguarding classified documents needs improvement.

Aides to former presidents, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush, say all documents from their administrations have been turned over, and that they are not conducting searches at this time.

Nothing 'sinister': Sen. Lindsey Graham vouches for Biden amid classified docs discovery

We asked former presidents: After Trump, Biden, Pence, are others holding classified documents?

Government to monopolies: This is why we can't have nice things

The Senate Judicial Committee is examining Ticketmaster's market domination, following the Taylor Swift ticket pre-sale debacle of last November. And Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, were among those dropping references to the pop star's lyrics throughout the committee's hearing on the matter Tuesday.

The president and CFO of Live Nation, Ticketmaster's parent company, Joe Berchtold, was there in defense of the company, testifying that "industrial-scale ticket scalping" and an unanticipated number of bots were to blame.

Also on Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced an antitrust lawsuit by the Justice Department against Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc. The action came in response to the search engine's "dominance over digital advertising technologies," Garland said.

McCarthy continues to back Santos

Speaker Kevin McCarthy said this week he would only support the removal of New York Rep. George Santos if an investigation by the Ethics Committee were to find the congressman had broken a law. McCarthy has so far stood by the freshman representative, who voted for McCarthy in all fifteen rounds of the speakership vote.

The latest discovery on Santos linked him to companies and a fund that federal regulators called a Ponzi scheme. Santos has admitted to lies on the campaign trail, from his ancestry to his education and work experience.

Amid all the media attention, Santos put out doughnuts and coffee for the crowd of reporters outside his office Tuesday.

Go deeper:

'Says a whole lot more about him': Elaine Chao speaks out about Donald Trump's racist comments on her

A win for the former president: Meta to restore Trump Facebook and Instagram accounts, reversing Jan. 6 Capitol attack ban.

Staff change: Biden to name Jeff Zients, who steered COVID response, as White House chief of staff.

Countdown to 2024: These candidates have already announced Senate plans for next election.

George Santos controversy: Here's a look at investigations of the new House Republican.

Jan. 6 trials: Jury convicts rioter who propped his feet up on a Nancy Pelosi staffer's desk.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pence classified documents, Senators grill Ticketmaster: week in politics