The National Archives is looking into reports that the Secret Service deleted texts

The chief records officer of the U.S. government has asked the Secret Service to determine whether any of its text messages on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021, were improperly deleted.

Patrick Semansky / Patrick Semansky

Reports that the Secret Service deleted text messages related to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack have caught the attention of the chief records officer of the U.S. Government.

That officer, Laurence Brewer, said in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday that the National Archives and Records Administration “has become aware of the potential unauthorized deletion of United States Secret Service (Secret Service) text messages” that were dated Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021.

If the department determines any messages were improperly deleted, then Homeland Security must send the National Archives a report describing the messages as well as why they were deleted and how the agency attempted to salvage them, Brewer wrote.