Following accusations that the United States Secret Service destroyed text communications dating back to January 5 and 6 in 2021, the House select committee reviewing the Capitol rebellion on January 6, 2021 filed a subpoena.
The summons was issued on Friday.
In a press statement, the chairman of the committee, Benny Thompson, stated the review panel is looking for any “after action” reports.
It is also seeking pertinent text messages that were provided by any branch of the Secret Service in relation to the rebellion that occurred on January 6.
The Select Committee has issued a subpoena for records from the United States Secret Service.
In a letter to Secret Service Director James Murray, Chair @BennieGThompson sought information about Secret Service text messages from January 5 and 6, 2021 that were reportedly erased.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) July 16, 2022
Thompson told James Murray, who was in charge of the Secret Service, about the subpoena by writing him a letter and sending it.
Deleted Messages
In a letter that was made public on Thursday, the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, Joseph Cuffari, informed the House and Senate committees of the situation.
He told those responsible for Homeland Security that texts sent on January 5 and 6, 2021 were removed from devices as part of a “device-replacement initiative.”
As part of the investigation into the happenings at the Capitol on January 6, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) sought records of digital communications from the United States Secret Service (USSS).
Following this request, the USSS deleted the text messages.
According to the contents of his letter, the Department of Homeland Security asserted the Office of the Inspector General was unable to send materials directly to Cuffari until the documents had been examined by attorneys.
Now we all know why the Director of the Secret Service, James Murray, resigned.
— Dr. Jack Brown (@DrGJackBrown) July 15, 2022
After it was found the texts had been deleted, Secret Service sent out a statement, saying that the reset had not affected the communications about the investigation on January 6.
He stated the agency has been working with the inquiry being conducted by the inspector general and disputed the “allegation that Secret Service unlawfully erased text messages after a request.”
He claimed this was not the case.
Secret Service and Testimonies
The request for Secret Service’s opinion on the subpoena was not immediately met with a response from the agency.
In recent weeks, the United States Secret Service has come to the attention of people all around the country, as a result of the explosive testimony provided by Cassidy Hutchinson.
She once worked as an adviser to the former chief of staff of the White House, Mark Meadows.
In her testimony, Hutchinson stated she got to listen to an account of Trump endeavoring to pounce at a Secret Service agent and seize the wheel of a presidential car.
This happened after he was informed he could not go to the Capitol while the riot was in progress. However, the claim has not been backed up by more evidence.
In the end, the United States Secret Service should be thoroughly investigated to ascertain if there was any wrongdoing.
