Committee Chairman Benny Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a statement that the committee is seeking the relevant text messages and any “after action” reports issued to any Secret Service units related to the Jan. 6 riot. Thompson sent a letter to Secret Service Director James Murray informing him of the subpoena. Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Koufari told the House and Senate Homeland Security committees in a letter released Thursday that the texts from Jan. 5 and 6, 2021, were deleted as part of a “device replacement program.” “The USSS deleted these text messages after the OIG requested electronic communications records from the USSS as part of our assessment of the events on Capitol Hill on January 6,” Cuffari said. According to its letter, DHS claimed that the Office of Inspector General could not provide records directly to Cuffari until they were reviewed by lawyers. A Secret Service spokesman said in a statement after the deletion of the texts was revealed that messages related to the Jan. 6 investigation were not affected by the rollback. He said the agency was cooperating with the inspector general’s investigation and rejected “the suggestion that the Secret Service deleted malicious text messages upon request.” House to vote on bill to protect access to contraceptives Gohmert lone House member to oppose baby formula bill The Secret Service did not immediately return a request for comment from The Hill about the subpoena. The Secret Service has garnered national attention in recent weeks following the bombshell testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Hutchinson testified that she heard an account of former President Trump trying to flag down a Secret Service agent and grab the wheel of a presidential vehicle after being told he couldn’t go to the Capitol during the riots.
