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The Secret Service does not have texts relevant to Jan. 6, reports say

Capitol Riot Investigation
Posted at 2:19 PM, Jul 19, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-19 14:19:06-04

According to multiple reports, the Secret Service does not have texts to provide to the Jan. 6 Committee relevant to the panel’s investigation into last year’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The Washington Post and ABC News said on Tuesday the Secret Service does not have texts to provide after the committee previously said it expected to see deleted text messages from the Secret Service on Tuesday.

"We did get a briefing from the inspector general of Homeland Security, and then there was a statement made by the spokesperson for the department saying it wasn't true, it wasn't fair, and that they, in fact had pertinent texts, so we said, ‘Fine -- if you have them, we need them. We expect to get them by this Tuesday,’” Rep. Zoe Lofgren told ABC’s “This Week.”

The Secret Service has pushed back on allegations that the agency intentionally deleted messages relevant to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.

The matter of deleted texts is also of concern to the National Archives. The Secret Service released a statement on Tuesday saying it would work with the agency.

“The United States Secret Service respects and supports the important role of the National Archives and Records Administration in ensuring preservation of government records,” a Secret Service spokesperson said. “They will have our full cooperation in this review.”