Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) tore into the Secret Service and speculated that the agency was either deeply incompetent or engaged in criminal behavior in the run-up to the Jan. 6 riot.
Pointing to evidence that the agency was aware of possible threats of violence before former President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 speech at the White House Ellipse, Kinzinger argued that the panel is eager to get additional testimony from the agency to clear the air.
TRUMP HOTELS CHARGED SECRET SERVICE ‘EXORBITANT’ RATES, CONGRESS SAYS
“There is something going on at the Secret Service, either pure incompetence all the way on the scale to potentially very criminal activity or just having a preference for one side or the other,” Kinzinger told CNN.
During the Jan. 6 committee hearing last week, panel members revealed that they had amassed roughly 1 million emails and audio files from the agency. Investigators for the committee have begun to comb through the trove but claim they have more work to do on that front.
So far, a key finding is that the agency was tipped off about possible violence from the Proud Boys, a right-wing group, some 10 days before the events of Jan. 6, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) revealed during the hearing.
The Secret Service had advance information—more than 10 days beforehand—regarding the Proud Boys planning for January 6th. We know now that the Proud Boys and others did lead the assault on our Capitol building. pic.twitter.com/1118rayg5g
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) October 13, 2022
“I’m concerned that maybe they saw this intelligence that there was going to be potentially violence, that there was going to be an attack, and they dismissed it because these are Donald Trump’s people, they would never do anything like this,” Kinzinger contended.
The congressman pondered whether the agency would have dragged its feet if it had been tipped off about a potential ISIS threat instead of a group sympathetic to Trump.
Over the summer, former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified that Secret Service Assistant Director Tony Ornato told her Trump fumed in a Secret Service vehicle following his speech at the White House Ellipse and attempted to commandeer the vehicle. Ornato has reportedly denied the story in private.
When asked about the disputed account, Kinzinger punted and underscored that there are a lot of questions left for the agency to answer.
“It’s not for me to say at this point whether they lied or not,” he said. “There are some inconsistencies that we’re going to pursue. There are a lot of questions, things they said earlier that maybe witnesses have countered.”
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The Secret Service is reportedly facing an investigation from the Department of Homeland Security inspector general into how a trove of text messages from agents during the time surrounding the Capitol riot vanished. The agency claims the messages went missing during a planned phone upgrade.
Additionally, Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) revealed during the last Jan. 6 committee hearing that the panel is investigating possible obstruction pertaining to testimony given about the Secret Service activity during the time surrounding the riot.
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) says the 1/6 committee is investigating “potential obstruction” of Secret Service involvement in the events surrounding January 6th. pic.twitter.com/oiuYF5OXNR
— The Recount (@therecount) October 13, 2022
