CNN reports that text messages from January 5th and 6th, 2021 sent and received by members of the US Secret Service on their cell phones were deleted after oversight agencies started to request them in the investigation into the USSS role in the events, according to a letter the Secret Service’s Inspector General sent the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th domestic terrorist attack on Congress.
According to the USSS IG, the messages were erased as part of “scrubbing” phones that are being replaced and taken out of service. There currently is no information to know if the messages can be obtained from other sources, such as other people involved in the text exchange or from the cell phone service provider. It’s also not disclosed if this includes encoded text messages using a third-party app.
The actions of Secret Service agents before and during the terrorist attack are coming under scrutiny as reports that Vice President Mike Pence refused to get into a USSS vehicle at the Capitol because he did not trust the driver. There is also conflicting accounts of what Donald Trump did in a USSS SUV after inciting the crowd at a “Stop the Steal” rally January 6th.
Thanks to AreYouPreparedToGoToCourt? for the tip.