The National Archives is seeking an investigation into the deleted text messages sent by Secret Service agents on January 5 and 6, 2021, during the violent uprising at the US Capitol.
In a letter Tuesday to the Department of Homeland Security, the US government’s chief records officer Lawrence Brewer directed the Secret Service to investigate the matter and determine whether any text messages were improperly deleted.
The Secret Service must now provide a report to the National Archives and Records Administration within 30 days, detailing the records, an account of the exact circumstances surrounding their deletion, the actions taken to recover the records, and what Security measures have been established. To prevent further damage.
Brewer emphasized that any The unauthorized removal represents a serious matter, whether or not these articles are relevant to the Congressional Committee investigating the events of January 6.
The Secret Service says the messages were erased as part of a routine and pre-planned device-replacement program, but the timeline for deletion has raised eyebrows.
DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffry told the House committee investigating January 6 that the texts were removed after his office requested the records as part of an investigation into the incidents, although the Secret Service denies this.
The record has taken on additional importance after Cassidy Hutchinson’s blistering testimony. Among other revelations, an aide to Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told House investigators that Trump had a “lung” on January 6 while attempting to take the Capitol for the steering wheel of a presidential limo.
While the Secret Service said it planned to dispute her testimony, the agency has yet to formally do so after nearly three weeks.
Members of the committee also certainly want to see Secret Service communications regarding the effort to keep various politicians safe that day, not least of whom is former Vice President Mike Pence, whom the crowd shouts “hang up Mike Pence”. was forced to hide. in the building.
