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JANUARY 6TH What happened to the Secret Service text messages about January 6th 
James Murray faces scrutiny for his ties to Trump amid speculation about the deleted Secret Service text messages ... Image via Shutterstock. Original article: https://www.alternet.org/2022/07/trump-secret-service-2657707459/ Peter Burgess COMMENTARY Normally I like loyalty ... but the sort of loyalty that is required by Donald Trump is an entirely different matter. The loss of this digital material could be quite innocent ... or not. The 'plot' thickens and it could be some time before we get to know the answer. The role of the former President in the events of January 6th seems to me to be pretty clear, with or without the lost text messages of the Secret Service. For some reason I keep remembering the tag line of an old BBC radio show ITMA from the 1940s ... 'Ignorance is Bliss, 'tis Folly to be Wise!. Pretending that all is well in the body politic of the United States is to be in fantasyland, and Americans need to wake up and get out the vote for politicians that stand for something that will be good for society at large. These people exist ... but they need to be identified and supported. Peter Burgess | ||
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James Murray faces scrutiny for his ties to Trump amid speculation about the deleted Secret Service text messages
Written by Meaghan Ellis July 23, 2022 U.S. Secret Service Director James Murray is at the center of controversy as concerns mount about his close ties to former President Donald Trump amid the House Select Committee's ongoing investigation into the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. According to Newsweek, the speculation centers around missing text messages that were sent and received on January 5 and 6, 2021. MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell recently shared critical remarks about Murray describing him as 'the problem' within the government agency. The MSNBC host also insisted that the agency has the most important text messages in their history because no one there knew that those text messages were important' and accused the Secret Service official of being 'a Trump guy.' O'Donnell also shared details from a NBC News report that detailed the specific orders Secret Service agents were given to preserve text messages. 'The senior Secret Service official said it was James Murray's responsibility to make sure all Secret Service texts sent and received on January 6 were preserved. And he did not do that,' O'Donnell noted. Murray was appointed by Trump in 2019 to lead the government agency. A number of journalists and reporters have noted that Trump initially wanted to appoint Secret Service agent Tony Ornato but Murray came highly recommended by Ornato. O'Donnell also shed light on Murray's interview with Trump for the position; an interview that reportedly lasted all of 10 minutes. 'That interview may well have in included the questions. Who did you vote for for president? Who are you going to vote for for president? And do I have your complete and total loyalty at all times for anything I might want to do?' O'Donnell said. He added, 'We know that Donald Trump was not going to give that job to anyone who did not clearly pledge loyalty to Donald Trump. So, we know that James Murray is a Trump guy in every sense important to Donald Trump or Donald Trump would not have promoted him to director of the Secret Service in April of 2019.' O'Donnell went on to raise questions about whether or not Murray 'had done 'a service' for Trump by 'overseeing the deletion of all the Secret Service text messages on January 6.'' 'The January 6 committee can answer all of these questions by issuing a specific personal subpoena to James Murray for his under oath testimony and a separate subpoena to James Murray for all his Secret Service text messages on January 6,' he said. He later said, 'We have never seen a problem like this at the Secret Service,' he said. 'It's a very serious problem at the Secret Service. And James Murray is part of that problem. Or James Murray is the problem.' Murray is also facing critical responses from others. On Wednesday, July 20, MSNBC legal analyst Jill Wine-Banks tweeted on Wednesday: 'There must be consequences for anyone at [Secret Service] who did not back up their data and for the leadership who did not make it happen. Director #JamesMurray must be fired today.' READ MORE: Secret Service agents confirm details Hutchinson shared about Trump demanding to be taken to US Capitol Jan. 6 SEE BELOW FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES
READ MORE: Secret Service agents confirm details Hutchinson shared about Trump demanding to be taken to US Capitol Jan. 6 'Potential unauthorized deletion' of Secret Service Jan. 6 texts prompts probe request Original article: https://www.alternet.org/2022/07/trump-secret-service/ 'Potential unauthorized deletion' of Secret Service Jan. 6 texts prompts probe request President Donald J. Trump participates in a Christmas Day video teleconference from the Oval Office Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018, with military service members stationed at remote sites worldwide to thank them for their service to our nation. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) Kenny Stancil and Common Dreams July 20, 2022 The U.S. National Archives on Tuesday asked the Secret Service to investigate the 'potential unauthorized deletion' of agents' text messages sent the day of and before the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. 'If it is determined that any text messages have been improperly deleted... then the Secret Service must send NARA a report within 30 calendar days of the date of this letter with a report documenting the deletion,' U.S. Chief Records Officer Laurence Brewer informed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records officer, referring to the National Archives and Records Administration. 'This report must include a complete description of the records affected, a statement of the exact circumstances surrounding the deletion of messages, a statement of the safeguards established to prevent further loss of documentation, and details of all agency actions taken to salvage, retrieve, or reconstruct the records,' he added. Brewer's request followed news that the Secret Service will inform the congressional committee investigating the Capitol attack that it has found no new text messages related to the deadly insurrection. The House committee subpoenaed the Secret Service on Friday as part of the bipartisan panel's effort to recover text messages that were deleted shortly after oversight officials requested them. The National Archives request also comes after the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG)—which sought records related to the events of January 6—determined that the Secret Service 'erased text messages as part of a device replacement program.' According to The Washington Post:
'It is extremely troubling to think that the Secret Service would destroy key evidence in any investigation, let alone one that is central to getting answers and accountability for the unprecedented attack on our democracy that occurred on January 6, 2021,' CREW chief counsel Donald Sherman said in a statement. 'The Federal Records Act requires that agencies like the Secret Service preserve records so that there is a complete and accurate history of the government's actions and decisions,' he continued. 'It is especially distressing to see such behavior from a federal agency that had such critical duties during the attack on the Capitol and had a front row seat to former President Trump's behavior that day.' 'The Justice Department must take this apparent violation of federal law seriously,' Sherman added. Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi—whose controversial career includes stints as spokesperson for police departments in Baltimore and Chicago, where he is accused of helping cover up the officer murder of Black teenager Laquan McDonald—insisted in a statement last week that the deletion of the texts was not malicious, and that 'none of the texts' sought by the OIG were erased. Appearing on ABC's 'This Week' Sunday, January 6 committee member Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) said that 'we need all of the texts from the fifth and sixth of January.' 'I was shocked to hear that they didn't back up their data before they reset their iPhones. That's crazy, and I don't know why that would be,' she added. 'But we need to get this information to get the full picture.' FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES
| The text being discussed is available at | https://www.alternet.org/2022/07/trump-secret-service-2657707459/ and |