The Secret Service deleted text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021 after oversight officials requested them, The Intercept reported on Thursday.
The revelation came in a letter obtained by the Jan. 6 committee that was sent by Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General — which oversees the Secret Service — to the House and Senate homeland security committees. The letter notes that the DHS IG’s office requested the Secret Service’s electronic communications from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 before being informed that the communications had been erased. The letter reportedly notes that the erasure took place after the request was made. Secret Service has claimed the communications were deleted as part of a “device-replacement program.”