Watchdog Says Secret Service Deleted Jan. 6 Text Messages
SnopesDec 27, 2022
The Facts
In a letter to Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General (IG) Joseph Cuffari on Mon., two House Democrats accused the IG office of a "lack of transparency" regarding its investigation into the deletion of Secret Service (USSS) texts on Jan. 5 and 6, 2021.
The leaders of House Oversight and Homeland Security committees claim in their letter to have obtained evidence that the IG learned of the missing texts in May 2021, and abandoned efforts to recover them in July 2021.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
This new evidence proves Cuffari was incapable of executing his duties as Inspector General in the past, and certainly shouldn't be in charge of any future investigations. Not only did he delay the process of uncovering details surrounding the Jan. 6 attacks, but he broke laws requiring him to promptly alert Congress and DHS to the information he had uncovered.
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.
