January 6 Hearing: Secret Service Failed to Recover Deleted Text Messages That Were Requested by Select Committee

By Mary Webber First Posted: Jul 19, 2022 10:19 PM EDT

The January 6 hearing committee has been notified by the Secret Service that the text messages it requested had been found.

ABC News reported that it was the same day the National Archives and Records Administration sent a letter prompting the agency to lead a probe on the deletion of some of its records from January 6 last year.

Rep. Stephanie Murphy, a member of the committee, said they received a letter that provided them with a lot of documents and data. However, Murphy added that they did not receive the text messages they were looking for.

Murphy said the Secret Service will see if there are other ways they can retrieve the subpoenaed text messages that were asked by the select committee.

A Secret Service spokesperson said the agency was doing a forensic review of the devices that contained the deleted text messages. The spokesperson added that they were using "every investigative resource" possible.

Last week, a top Secret Service spokesman recognized that the text messages were deleted after the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General sought the messages dated January 5 and January 6 last year.

Secret Service Deleted Text Messages

Secret Service agents have been involved in the January 6 investigation due to their role in following and planning former U.S. President Donald Trump's movements during the Capitol riot.

The law enforcement agency is seen to share its texts and other records to January 6 select committee, according to The Washington Post report.

Several of the agency's text messages were erased, and Secret Service attributed it to an agency-wide rest of staff cellphones, including replacements that started months earlier.

Secret Service agents are ordered to upload any text messages involving government business to an internal agency drive before doing a reset, according to the agency's senior official. However, it seemed that several agents failed to do so.

DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari informed the House select committee that text messages were missing, adding that DHS officials were delaying the turnover of information he asked for. The DHS then denied Cuffari's claims.

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the replacement started a month before the Office of the Inspector General made the request.

January 6 Hearing

Select committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson said in a tweeted statement that the primetime January 6 hearing on Thursday will continue despite him contracting COVID-19.

Committee spokesperson Tim Mulvey said in a The Guardian report that Thompson had instructed the select committee to continue with the hearing.

Mulvey added that the committee members and staff wish the chairman his recovery.

A person familiar with the matter noted that two former White House aides are seen to testify as the select committee looks at what Trump was doing as his mob of supporters infiltrated the Capitol.

Meanwhile, the former president and members of his inner circle have insisted that the riot "was spontaneous."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: National Archives asks Secret Service to probe missing Jan. 6 texts - from CBS Evening News