The Secret Service has confiscated the cell phones of 24 agents and turned them over to investigators
Senior leadership at the Secret Service confiscated the cellphones of 24 agents involved in the agency’s response to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol and handed them over to the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, according to two sources with knowledge of the action.
The agency handed over the phones “shortly after” a July 19 letter was sent by Inspector General Joseph Cuffari’s office around the time he launched a criminal probe into the Secret Service’s missing text messages from Jan. 6, the sources said.
The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General is investigating the destruction of evidence related to the Capitol attack by the Secret Service. The IG told Congress that he was not able to recover the lost texts, but he has had the phones of agents since July.
The Secret Service is under criminal investigation for the destruction of evidence, as it is suspected that agents or superiors who were sympathetic and loyal to Donald Trump scrubbed the phone system to prevent incriminating evidence from being turned over to investigators.
The Secret Service claims that the texts were deleted as part of an upgrade, but few find this explanation credible or satisfying.
Twenty-four agents had their phones confiscated for a reason, as the questions about what the Secret Service is potentially hiding get louder by the day.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
