Maloney, Thompson Demand DHS IG Comply With Probe Into Deleted Jan. 6 Texts

The inspector general of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has refused congressional requests for documents and prevented staff from testifying about the destruction of text messages sent by Secret Service agents and senior DHS officials prior to and on the day of the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

That’s according to Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)—the respective chairs of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the House Committee on Homeland Security—who told DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari in a Tuesday letter that he must start cooperating with their committees’ joint investigations into his potential mismanagement of the deleted texts as well as his alleged censorship of an internal report on sexual harassment, or expect a subpoena.

“Your obstruction of the committees’ investigations is unacceptable, and your justifications for this noncompliance appear to reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of Congress’ authority and your duties as an inspector general,” Maloney and Thompson wrote.

“If you continue to refuse to comply with our requests, we will have no choice but to consider alternate measures to ensure your compliance,” the chairs continued, suggesting that Cuffari could soon face a congressional subpoena.

The DHS Office of Inspector General launched a criminal probe into the Secret Service’s deletion of potentially insurrection-related messages on July 21. Five days later, however, Maloney and Thompson wrote a letter questioning Cuffari’s “independence and his ability to effectively conduct such an important investigation” and implored him to “step aside.”

Thompson and Maloney urged a government council of inspectors general to appoint another watchdog to oversee the Secret Service investigation currently being led by Cufarri—something the council’s executive director says he lacks the authority to do.

After it was revealed that the DHS inspector general illegally withheld information about erased texts for months and abandoned efforts to collect them, Maloney and Thompson sent another letter to Cuffari on August 1, in which they told Cuffari that his “lack of transparency and independence… appear to be jeopardizing the integrity of a crucial investigation run by your office.”

Maloney and Thompson asked Cuffari to provide documents related to his office’s decision not to pursue missing January 6-related text messages sent and received by Secret Service agents and former DHS leaders and to make two deputy inspectors general available for transcribed interviews.

In response, Cuffari told the committee chairs in an August 8 letter disclosed Tuesday that he will not comply with their request for internal documents and interviews, citing his office’s “ongoing” probe.

In their latest letter, Maloney and Thompson told Cuffari: “You have not identified a legitimate basis to refuse to comply with the committees’ requests for documents and information, and your claim that you cannot do so due to an ongoing criminal investigation is inaccurate.”

“Congress frequently conducts independent investigations even when a related criminal investigation is ongoing,” the pair wrote. “As the Supreme Court has acknowledged, legislative inquires need not yield to parallel proceedings, even if those proceedings are criminal in nature.”

Originally published at Commondreams.org.