Thread by @JordanChariton

#FlintWaterCrisis EXCLUSIVE: Top officials in Rick Snyder's admin had phones "wiped" or altered w/ no messages on them from 18-month period Flint used Flint River.

Snyder also refused to give key Flint documents to prosecutors. By me + @JennElizabethJ

theintercept.com/2021/07/21/fli…

"When I turned in my phone, it got wiped,” Snyder's press sec Sara Wurfel told Flint prosecutor about her phone being wiped when she left job in Nov. 2015—shortly before launch of the Flint criminal investigation.

“That is not standard,” ex-state official told The Intercept.

Prosecutors discovered that top officials w/ MI Dpt. of Health and Human Services-including chief medical executive Dr. Eden Wells and MDHHS chief deputy director Tim Becker-had no messages on their phone before Oct. 2015 (Flint used Flint River from Apr. 2014 through Oct. 2015)

On MDHHS officials' missing phone messages from the crucial period Flint used the Flint River, a department spokesperson told @TheIntercept: "The department does not care to comment other than to say that the department always cooperates with the Attorney General's office..."

Prosecutors also received a major tip: soon after Snyder's 10/8/15 press conference announcing Flint's high water lead levels, a state IT official allegedly received phones belonging to state environmental officials that were "wiped clean" w/ no information retrievable.

Genesee County health official Jim Henry tipped off prosecutors on what state IT official Jim Fick told him: "it was odd to have [received] several working phones that were 'wiped clean' and no information could be retrieved" soon after Snyder announced Flint's high lead levels..

One high-level MI Dept of Environmental Quality official confirmed to prosecutors he was asked to hand in phone in Oct. 2015.

“I don't know where they took it or what they did with it,” the late Jim Sygo, former MDEQ deputy director, told prosecutors. He didn't receive it back.

On MI environmental officials' allegedly "wiped clean" phone, a department spokesperson said: "The current administration [Whitmer] is neither in a position to confirm the actions of, nor speculate on the motives of, employees and former employees that occurred six years ago."

Prosecutors also discovered Snyder's top adviser, Richard Baird, and other officials, had approached Snyder admin officials b4 their interviews w/ prosecutor to influence their testimony.

"I would consider it tampering w/ evidence & obstruction," prosecutor told state official

Baird also avoided putting or receiving anything in writing about the #FlintWaterCrisis.

"Trust me amigo. Emails are fodder for our enemies' cannons," Baird texted ex-Flint emergency manager. "Suggest you default to the phone call or gotta minute? drop by approach..."

Snyder himself refused to give key documents to prosecutors, including: "MDEQ Governor Briefings, Governor daily briefings, Executive Staff meetings, and Flint Water Crisis-related conference calls, updates, and reports" that he had "effective control of."

Multiple sources: then-MI AG Bill Schuette wouldn't allow Flint special counselor Todd Flood to execute search warrant on Snyder. "They weren't giving things, they weren't honoring subpoenas" but "Flood's hands were tied."

Snyder was charged w/ misdemeanor in January over Flint.

24 hours after we published this bombshell, @nytimes @washingtonpost @cnn @msnbc @AP Detroit @freep @detroitnews @flintjournal @PBS and other mainstream outlets are crickets.