The National Archives on Tuesday directed the Secret Service to probe the “the potential unauthorized deletion” of texts from around the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. “This report must include ... a statement of the exact circumstances surrounding the deletion of messages, a statement of the safeguards established to prevent further loss of documentation and details of all agency actions taken to salvage, retrieve, or reconstruct the records,” the archives wrote in a letter. News of that request comes amid reports that the Secret Service does not have any additional test messages to give the House committee looking into the Capitol riot, as the rest were purged “as a part of a device-replacement program,” CNBC reported. The texts are unlikely to be found, sources told The Washington Post. If they do resurface, they could showcase reactions and messages in real time on Jan. 6 of agents who may have coordinated Trump’s plans and whereabouts that day. The House panel had issued a subpoena Friday for the Secret Service records.
