After having their phones seized during an investigation into the Jan. 6 riot, multiple Secret Service agents requested a record of the material collected but were reportedly turned down.
Requests were made in August amid internal concerns about the agency seizing the phones to give to the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general’s office, which was investigating how text messages from the day of the Capitol riot vanished, NBC reported.
SECRET SERVICE HANDED OVER 24 CELLPHONES BELONGING TO AGENTS INVOLVED IN JAN. 6 RESPONSE: REPORT
“This letter is the final response to your Privacy Act inquiry submitted on Aug. 4, 2022, for information pertaining to the release of personal cell phone information and/or other personal identifiable information (PII) by the U.S. Secret Service,” a letter obtained by the outlet said.
“The agency has determined that regulation does not require a records disclosure accounting to be made in connection with your request,” the letter added.
Agents cited the Privacy Act in their demands to learn more about the information that was collected from their electronic devices. Last month, reports revealed that the Secret Service seized 24 cellphones from agents who were involved with the response to Jan. 6.
Requests for additional information about the seizure by the agents were made through the Freedom of Information Act and reviewed by the agency under its Freedom of Information Act Program, according to the report.
Some agents complained that their phones were taken without their consent, according to the outlet. Their phones reportedly belonged to the agency, so they were required to hand them over.
The Secret Service turned over the phones to the Department of Homeland Security following a letter in which the DHS inspector general announced an investigation into missing text messages.
Over the summer, Inspector General Joseph Cuffari announced the investigation into the missing text messages following uproar over revelations that text messages from Secret Service agents from the time surrounding the Capitol riot vanished during a planned upgrade.
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The Jan. 6 committee has subpoenaed the Secret Service for records and blasted Cuffari for his handling of the matter.
A spokesperson for the Secret Service told the Washington Examiner the agency is not “in a position to comment on this at this time.”
