DHS Inspector General Accuses the Secret Service of Deleting Texts Ahead of January 6
The inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notified lawmakers that the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) had deleted text messages from Jan. 5, 2021, and on the day of the Capitol riot itself after they had been formally requested by investigators.
DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari wrote in a letter addressed to House and Senate Homeland Security committees, which was given to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol rioting, that text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021, had been “erased as part of a device-replacement program,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Hill and first reported by The Intercept.
“The USSS erased those text messages after OIG requested records of electronic communications from the USSS, as part of our evaluation of events at the Capitol on January 6,” Cuffari continued.
