DOD ‘wiped’ phones of Trump-era leaders, erasing Jan. 6 texts

The Department of Defense failed to retain text messages from a number of its top officials because they wiped their phones during the changeover.

The communications of former acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy were requested by American Oversight.

They were told that the records weren't preserved.

When an employee leaves the Department of Defense or the Army, the phone is wiped, according to the DOD and Army. The agencies said in a March court filing that the text messages could not be searched because they were not preserved.

Several officials at the Department of Homeland Security, including former acting Secretary Chad Wolf, had their messages erased during the transition. The phones of both people were reset after the inauguration.

Text messages from January 5 and January 6 were erased by the inspector general.

The text messages were lost through a software change, according to the Secret Service.

The National Guard faced delays in getting approval to go to the Capitol as it was under siege, and the effort to get Pentagon texts could have shed light on why.

The military leaders' communications were sought by the suit. The request asked for communications from Miller, his chief of staff, and others.

The House committee is looking into the attack on the Capitol.

Each official's phone appears to have been wiped after their records request was filed according to American Oversight.

Heather Sawyer, the groups executive director, wrote in a letter that the DOD had deleted messages from top DOD and Army officials that could have shed light on the actions of top Trump administration officials on the day of the failed insurrection.

The destruction of records potentially relevant to this significant matter of national attention and historical importance should be investigated by the DOD.

The Department of Defense and the Justice Department didn't say anything.

It is the second time in less than a week that Garland has been summoned to intervene.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee asked the attorney general to look into the destruction of evidence at the Department of Homeland Security. Garland was asked to get to the bottom of what happened to the text messages.

At 5:38 p.m., there was a new update.

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