Secret Service’s Own Secrets Come Under Scrutiny in Jan. 6 Probe
Missing text messages during Capitol attack are a focus as questions are raised about links to Donald Trump
Members of the Secret Service patrol from the roof of the White House as then-President Donald Trump speaks to supporters from the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021.
Photographer: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
The name expresses it all -- the Secret Service is supposed to operate in the shadows as an apolitical agency protecting US officials and their families. Like oxygen, it should be vital but largely invisible.
So when it emerged that Secret Service text messages tied to last year’s lethal attack on the US Capitol had been deleted, and that Vice President Mike Pence disagreed with the agents on the scene, grievous questions of integrity and politicization loomed. Had the agency been hijacked by Donald Trump?