Two top House Democrats said Monday there is evidence of a cover-up in the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general’s investigation into deleted U.S. Secret Service communications related to the Capitol riot.
Breaking news: House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney and House Homeland Security Chairman Benny Thompson called on Inspector General Joseph Kuffari in a letter to “step down” and asked his office to provide documents and interviews, citing emails , indicating that its employees may have tried to stop efforts to receive USSS messages.
- They include Deputy Inspector General Thomas Kite writing to a DHS official on July 27, 2021, “please use this email as a reference to our conversation in which I stated that we are no longer requesting USSS phone records and text messages related to the events effective January 6th,” the letter said.
- Thompson and Maloney said they learned Keith had “removed key language” from a February memo to DHS that “highlighted the importance of the text messages” to the inspector general’s investigation and criticized the department for not complying with the December 2021 request. about text messages.
Of note: Thompson and Maloney cited a CNN report over the weekend about claims that Kufari learned of the missing Secret Service messages about the Jan. 6, 2021, riot four months after it happened.
Why it matters: The letter underscores tensions between Trump appointee Kafary and House Democrats after news of the missing Secret Service text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021, surfaced last month.
- The House Special Committee investigating the Capitol riot, which Thompson also chairs, has since subpoenaed the Secret Service, and Kuffari has opened a criminal investigation into the matter.
- Kufari told Politico on Monday that while protocols may prevent him from responding publicly “to falsehoods and false information about our work … I’m so proud of the resilience I’ve witnessed in the face of this onslaught of unhelpful criticism.”
What else they say: “We are writing to you with serious new concerns about your lack of transparency and independence that appear to threaten the integrity of a crucial investigation led by your office,” Thompson and Maloney said in their letter.
- “The committees have received new evidence that your office may have secretly abandoned efforts to collect Secret Service text messages more than a year ago,” they continued.
- “These documents also indicate that your office may have taken steps to conceal the extent of the missing records, raising further concerns about your ability to independently and effectively carry out your duties as Inspector General.”
What to watch: Thompson and Maloney have requested that Kuffari make Kite and Kristen Fredricks, the IG’s office chief of staff, available for transcribed interviews no later than August 15.
- Representatives for Cuffari did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
Read the letter in full via DocumentCloud:
Go deeper: The National Archives is asking the Secret Service to “review” the deleted texts
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with additional details from the letter and more context.
Add Comment