By Steve Neavling
Secret Service agents were rebuffed when they requested records for all of the communications seized from their personal cellphones as part of the Jan. 6, 2021, probe, NBC reports.
The agents sought the information in a Freedom of Information Act request in early August but were denied. To demand more information in the request, the agents cited the Privacy Act.
The request came as Congress and the Homeland Security’s inspector general both said they were interested in reviewing erased text messages of Secret Service agents.
“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,” the letter, dated last Wednesday, stated.
“The agency has determined that regulation does not require a records disclosure accounting to be made in connection with your request,” the letter continued.
The records request highlights tension between agents and the agency’s leadership over the search for information.
The Secret Service confiscated 24 cellphones from agents who were involved with the response to events on Jan. 6.
