DHS inspector general tells Secret Service to stop investigating potentially missing texts

[PSPS]

Source: CNN

DHS inspector general tells Secret Service to stop investigating potentially missing texts

By Whitney Wild and Jeremy Herb, CNN
Updated 12:39 PM ET, Thu July 21, 2022

(CNN)The Department of Homeland Security inspector general has directed the Secret Service to stop its internal investigations into what happened to text messages related to January 6 that may have been deleted, according to a letter reviewed by CNN. The inspector general wrote that the Secret Service should stop investigating the matter because it could interfere with the inspector general's own investigation into what happened to the agency's text messages.

The letter adds to the growing tension between the Secret Service and the DHS inspector general over the potentially missing text messages, which are being sought by the House select committee as part of its investigation into former President Donald Trump's actions and movements on January 6, 2021.

"To ensure the integrity of our investigation, the USSS must not engage in any further investigative activities regarding the collection and preservation of the evidence referenced above," DHS deputy inspector general Gladys Ayala wrote in a letter to Secret Service Director James Murray on Wednesday evening. "This includes immediately refraining from interviewing potential witnesses, collecting devices or taking any other action that would interfere with an ongoing criminal investigation."

The inspector general wrote that the Secret Service should explain what interviews had already been conducted related to the text messages, along with the "scope off the questioning, and what, if any, warnings were given to the witness(es)." The inspector general told the Secret Service to respond by Monday.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/21/politics/dhs-inspector-general-secret-service-texts/index.html

[Walleye]

1. That's an interesting development

[gab13by13]

2. It is about time, praise God and pass the ammunition.

Who the hell thought it was a good idea to allow the SS to investigate itself?

The head of DHS, Alejandro Mayorkas, should have the authority to suspend agents pending investigation.

This is serious shit going down. It sure looks like members of the Secret Service were complicit in a coup. The freaking Vice President wouldn't get in the car with one of them.

[elleng]

3. Interesting, adds weight to my conclusion that establishing Department of 'Homeland security' was

and is a mistake. More on this later.

What are the 22 departments of Homeland security?

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Federal Emergency Management Agency.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Transportation Security Administration.
United States Coast Guard (during times of peace)
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

[gab13by13]

4. I agree, a big mistake.

[Thunderbeast]

11. These are the agencies that provided most of the secret army

that intervened at the request of the White House in Portland and Washington D.C....turning BLM protests into riots.

The Proud Boyz were also in Portland with the same agenda.

[jaxexpat]

21. Righto, elleng.

When one is assigned to watch everything, no one is watching anything. Qualifications? None required because nobody's qualified to ask, much less answer.

Stupid 2-dimensional rightist theory as espoused by 'ole Dick Cheney and swallowed hook-line-and-sinker by the stupidest Bush. Makes my skin crawl to hear it. I've been offended and felt insulted by the very title "Department of Homeland Security" from the first rumor of its inception. Of course, the fact that none of the other government agencies got in line with the concept surprised no one. Let's just face it, Tom Ridge's color "codery" was no match to J. Edgar's Hoovery. It should have been christened the Department of Deferred Responsibility, if for nothing else, every negative evening news headline forever, GO Terror!

[OAITW r.2.0]

24. +1 If only Bush/Cheney had been paying attention to what they were being told,

We wouldn't have needed another Federal Department created to add even more redundancy and turf wars to the existing Federal LE branches.

[Ligyron]

30. Remember the Terror codes?

What's the threat level today Chumley?

Code yellow and a half boss. Locate the duct tape and be very afraid!

[jaxexpat]

34. The DHS was created to insulate the president from actual, current knowledge.

It was always about plausible deniability, about looking the other way at the appropriate moment. It was about never letting anybody see just how fucking incompetent Bush was with their own eyes. He was ultimately and actually the neocons very own "useful idiot".

[jaxexpat]

35. The DHS was created to insulate the president from actual, current knowledge.

It was always about plausible deniability, about looking the other way at the appropriate moment. It was about never letting anybody see just how fucking incompetent Bush was with their own eyes. He was ultimately and actually the neocons very own "useful idiot".

[Backseat Driver]

25. Thought that was this POC woman's job?

"When one is assigned to watch everything, no one is watching anything. Qualifications? None required because nobody's qualified to ask, much less answer."

Her SS office must have been moved to the broom closet????

https://www.secretservice.gov/about/leadership/opr

Assistant Director Gloria R. Armstrong
Office of Professional Responsibility

Gloria R. Armstrong was appointed Assistant Director of the Office of Professional Responsibility on May 25, 2021. Ms. Armstrong is a senior executive and federal law enforcement special agent with 26 years of experience with the U.S. Secret Service. During her career, Ms. Armstrong has risen through the ranks, having begun her Secret Service career in 1995 as a special agent assigned to the Los Angeles Field Office.

As Assistant Director, Ms. Armstrong oversees integrity investigations, mission assurance inquiries, and compliance inspection, ensuring enterprise-wide increased accountability, stewardship, compliance while assisting the agency’s leadership in managing missions in a collaborative, transparent manner. [snip]

[elleng]

29. Right, and they sure as hell should have known better.

I'm a retired federal bureaucrat, and have seen it.

[live love laugh]

37. Yep "too big to fail" or too big period.

Biden should dismantle it.

[onetexan]

38. + ATF

[bluestarone]

5. Question here

Which dept. is best to trust? SS. or Inspector General? I have no idea.

[elleng]

6. For info:

The U.S. Secret Service was created in 1865 as a specialized branch of the Department of the Treasury to combat the economic threat of counterfeit currency, which in the final days of the American Civil War was estimated to constitute as much as half of circulating U.S. currency.

150+ Years of History

After the assassination of President McKinley in 1901, the Secret Service was tasked with the full-time protection of the President of the United States. Over time, this protective mission has been expanded by statutory changes, Presidential Decision Directives, Homeland Security Presidential Directives, National Security Presidential Directives, and various Executive Orders.

The United States Secret Service Uniformed Division protects the White House Complex, and Naval Observatory. Since 1970, the Uniformed Division has also been responsible for protecting foreign embassies and consulates in and around the Washington, D.C. area.

https://www.secretservice.gov/about/history/150-years

[Ligyron]

32. That's good info,

Maybe they should go observe their navel for awhile.

[gab13by13]

8. The IG oversees the SS

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducts and supervises independent audits, inspections, and investigations and recommends ways for DHS to carry out its vital responsibilities in the most effective, efficient, and economical manner possible, to put it nicely.

[choie]

10. the current IG is a trump appointee

n/a

[gab13by13]

16. Yes, and it appears he was also complicit, or inept.

It appears the IG may need to be purged. I wonder if Mayorkas has that authority?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/secret-service-watchdog-knew-texts-were-missing-in-february-but-didn-t-tell-congress/ar-AAZP7yh?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=697e4a81d5464de68734ef7c1d589b33

[Evolve Dammit]

7. "To ensure the integrity of our investigation" says to some, to go ahead and do what follows....

Not sure they wanted to tip their hand so quickly, to reveal what could hamstring their efforts?

[gab13by13]

9. The FBI needs to be doing the investigation.

[greenjar_01]

12. Please cease your cover-up errr ahem achoo ahem investigation ahem achoo

Fucking clowns.

[moniss]

13. It is a

question whether the IG is referencing 1/6 as the "criminal investigation" or if he is now calling his investigation of the deletions as criminal. Either way this is getting ugly really quick. We now have clear and open defiance of the Committee as well as what would appear to be the SS acting to muddy the investigation of that defiance.

[gab13by13]

15. Correct me if I'm wrong,

and I have been wrong a lot, but we don't know who is investigating the Secret Service do we? The National Archives told the SS to take a month to get its story straight and then issue a report. The select committee has issued subpoenas, but why not the FBI?

The FBI investigated Hillary's emails for 1 year.

[moniss]

31. Yes indeed

and that is why "criminal investigation" caught my eye. The 1/6 Committee is an investigation by a legislative committee. We know about their subpoena. The DOJ/States are the ones who conduct "criminal investigations" and to my knowledge we don't know about any request from DOJ for these texts. I did just see that ABC is now confirming from 3 sources that the investigation into the deleted texts is now a criminal investigation. The statement from the IG's office today references following DOJ guidance regarding criminal investigations. So it appears I may have been on to something after all. You are right about the FBI and it worries me that they would be involved in this investigation since we well remember how crooked they were in the e-mail fiasco and with Comey and his non-explanation explanation. I don't trust Chris Wray et al. But I don't know what resources DOJ would have at their disposal for investigation beyond the FBI. It sure is getting big quickly.

[ZonkerHarris]

14. "we are investigating your cover up"

[Grokenstein]

17. But if they aren't allowed to investigate themselves...

...how will they find no wrongdoing??

[Stuart G]

18. When You Think You Have Seen it All, There is always....MORE....THIS IS ..."MORE"

[MontanaMama]

19. So if the SS is told to stop investigating

because it would interfere with the IG's investigation...why would they stop? Because they're told to do so? Jeez louise. Watch their internal investigation go into overdrive. Good grief. Why would they start doing what they're supposed to do now?

[Raven123]

20. Frankly, I don't trust DHS

It looks like they dropped the ball on this

https://www.pogo.org/investigation/2022/07/dhs-watchdog-failed-to-sound-alarm-for-months-on-secret-services-purged-jan-6-texts

[bluestarone]

23. This is kinda what i'm worried about as well. BUT

I DO NOT trust the SS. investigating themselves. TFG has fucked up EVERYTHING in my eyes!

[gab13by13]

26. I agree,

Cuffari was nominated by Trump. He must have approved Tony Ornato's leave of absence from SS to go work at the White House, which is totally off base.

Maybe Cuffari should be under investigation instead of leading the investigation?

[Raven123]

28. Exactly.

[wolfie001]

22. Secret Service needs a new govt nomenclature

The acronym is SS and, well, seems we may have a Nat-Zee or two currently employed there.

[gab13by13]

27. Zoe Lofgren just reported that

SS agents have retained private counsel. So it seems they are afraid they did something illegal.

Where is Mayorkas? There is more than one rotten apple in the barrel.

[TripleKatPad]

33. I'll be golly-darned

Someone with common sense decided that having the fox investigate the hen house massacre was a bad idea.
Now, who will hold the new investigators' feet to the fire? At this point, everyone is suspect in my eyes.

[Cha]

36. TY!

Focus!
Please Fight to Save Our Democracy💙 in 2022 & 2024!

[SunSeeker]

39. James Murray, as USSS Director, is responsible for this criminality.

He should be hauled before the J6 Committee.