Jan 6 riots: DHS writes to Secret Service on deleted text messages

The
inspector general of the United States’ Department of Homeland Security told
the Secret Service that it is investigating text messages related to the
January 6 attack on the US Capitol. The inspector general’s office said that
texts might have been deleted and described discovering these texts part of an “ongoing
criminal investigation,” according to a letter reviewed by CNN.

In a letter
to DHS Deputy Inspector General Gladys Ayala wrote to Secret Service Director
James Murray, Ayala said, “This is to notify you that the Department of
Homeland Security Office of Inspector General has an ongoing investigation into
the facts and circumstances surrounding the collection and preservation of evidence
by the United States Secret Service as it related to the events of January 6,
2021.”

“To ensure
the integrity of our investigation, the USSS must not engage in any further
investigative activities regarding the collection and preservation of the
evidence referenced above. This includes immediately refraining from
interviewing potential witnesses, collecting devices or taking any other action
that would interfere with an ongoing criminal investigation.”

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The letter indicates
the growing tension between the Secret Service and the DHS inspector general
over potentially missing text messages. The messages are being sought by the
House select committee probing former President Donald Trump’s role in the
January 6 riots.

The DHS
inspector general wrote that the Secret Service should explain interviews taken
related to text messages related to text messages, along with the “scope off
the questioning, and what, if any, warnings were given to the witness(es).” The
Secret Service acknowledged having received the inspector general’s letter.

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“We have
informed the January 6th Select Committee of the Inspector General’s
request and will conduct a thorough legal review to ensure we are fully
cooperative with all oversight efforts and that they do not conflict with each
other,” the Secret Service said in a statement.