The original language of the memo included detailed explanations from the Office of the Inspector General of Homeland Security. This included multiple ways the Secret Service delayed surveillance agency investigations into the agency’s actions, including erasing text messages of the day before and during the Capitol riot.
That language was eventually scrapped and replaced with two sentences containing a simple reference to the challenges investigators faced in obtaining information. The final version of his report to update lawmakers on the OIG’s progress in its January 6 review was issued in June, when DHS Inspector General Joseph Cafari said the Secret Service and DHS were on record. That was about a month before I sued Congress for blocking access to.
It is unclear why Cuffari’s final report to Congress did not include a more detailed account of these obstacles.
In a statement to CNN, a Secret Service spokesperson said the agency was “cooperating fully with all investigations into the events that occurred on January 6, 2021.” The DHS IG did not respond to requests for comment.
The original memo contained detailed allegations by Watchdog investigators regarding problems with timely access to Secret Service documents and information, including missing text messages lost as part of the data migration. .
“Many times the documents were not finalized more than a month later, but they contained redactions,” the draft memo said. “The OIG follow-up resulted in the final unredacted document, but in each case these hurdles often caused avoidable delays.”
The timing and details of the memo raise more questions about Cuffari’s seemingly impromptu July letter to Congress, which briefly mentioned the loss of text messages from the Secret Service and challenges in retrieving DHS records. To do.
The draft memo also states that OIG investigators updated their request for the missing Secret Service text messages in February 2022, one year after the initial request for records.
“Secret Service claimed that it was unable to extract the contents of the text messages due to the April 2021 cellular system transition,” the draft states. “The Secret Service failed to clearly communicate this highly relevant information at the beginning of his correspondence with the OIG during this reporting period, causing significant delays. You didn’t explain why you didn’t save the text before.”
CNN previously reported that the Secret Service lost text messages in a data migration that began on January 27, 2021, about a month before the OIG issued its first request for records. Data migration he finished in April 2021.
A source told CNN that the Secret Service informed the Inspector General’s office as early as May 2021 about the loss of text messages due to the data migration.
Despite the detailed draft wording, the final version of the semi-annual report, published in mid-June, stated that “During the previous reporting period, [OIG] OIG’s access to Secret Service records was significantly delayed by the Secret Service, [OIG’s] Reviewed January 6, 2021.
According to the report, investigators are “discussing the matter” with the Secret Service.
Source: www.cnn.com
