The Secret Service’s deletion of January 6-related text messages is now part of an “ongoing criminal investigation”, according to the Department of Homeland Security inspector general.
The Secret Service was informed it is being probed and was ordered to end its own internal investigation in a letter obtained by CNN.
“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 relates to the events of January 6, 2021,” DHS Deputy Inspector General Gladys Ayala wrote in a 20 July letter to Secret Service Director James Murray.
“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,” the IG added.
“This includes immediately refraining from interviewing potential witnesses, collecting devices or taking any other action that would interfere with an ongoing criminal investigation.”
The issue became public after the House select committee, which is investigating Donald Trump’s actions surrounding the riot carried out by his supporters, tried to get hold of the missing messages.
Inspectors general can refer the finding of their investigations to federal prosecutors. The Secret Service said in a statement that it had received the inspector general’s letter.
“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 agency said in the statement.
“We are unaware of a criminal allegation, but are committed to cooperating with the Inspector General.”
Controversy has surrounded the issue after the Secret Service could only hand over one text message to the inspector general, who had asked to be provided with a month of records from 24 Secret Service personnel.
The Secret Service has previously said that the deletion took place because agency phones were migrated to a new system in the weeks after the 2021 attack.
