A curious draft: Records show warning on missing Jan. 6 texts removed from watchdog report

Records obtained by an independent government oversight group show that Congress was nearly warned about the missing Secret Service text messages tied to Jan. 6 but in the end, that notice was stripped from a final report issued by Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari. 

The Project on Government Oversight obtained the draft record first and unveiled that it was this April when lawyers at the Department of Homeland Security initially approved language in a broader report that would have made Congress aware of the deleted texts. 

Cuffari, appointed by former President Donald Trump, ultimately did not notify Congress until last month.

The Department of Homeland Security inspector general has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks. Leaders on House committees for oversight and national security respectively have asked him to recuse himself from any further internal probe of the missing messages.

President Joe Biden last week was allegedly reviewing Cuffari’s conduct, but the White House has since been mum on the matter. A White House spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment to Daily Kos on Friday. 

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