Watchdog Says Secret Service Deleted Jan. 6 Text Messages
SnopesJul 28, 2022
Report: Secret Service Deleted Text Messages From Jan. 5 & 6
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The Facts
Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General Joseph Cuffari told the House Committee on Homeland Security on Thurs. that the Secret Service had deleted texts from Jan. 5 and 6, 2021.
His report stated that the texts were deleted as part of a device replacement program, allegedly even after he requested them as part of the inquiry into the Jan. 6 riots.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
The Secret Service's explanation for this is preposterous, and someone should have to testify under oath - not just about the deletions but why there weren't any data backups. At seemingly every turn the Secret Service has acted suspiciously since Jan. 6, 2021, making you wonder what it's hiding.
Pro-Trump narrative
There are no scenarios where this agency would've allowed crucial evidence to be destroyed nor would any employee have defied an Inspector General's orders. The Jan. 6 Committee's partisan witch hunt against Trump has now expanded to attack the integrity of the Secret Service.