Thread by @MuellerSheWrote

THREAD: let’s talk about this weak-sauce BS response from the @SecretService. “In January 2021, before any inspection was opened by OIG on this subject, USSS began resetting its mobile phones to factory settings as part of a pre-planned, three-month systems migration” 1/

First, it’s SUPER sketch that they bring up the OIG probe that began February 26, but don’t address that TWO congressional committees asked them for all relevant 1/6 documents on JANUARY 16. 2/

Why did you continue “resetting phones” after you received this letter, and why on earth would ANY agency continue with a planned January “systems migration” right after the attack on the capitol - ESPECIALLY the USSS? 3/

Finally, I worked for the feds for over a decade and we never returned our phones to factory settings UNLESS we lost our password and couldn’t get in, and in those cases, an IT administrator had to do it, and all our texts and emails were restored from the cloud. 4/

There was no “systems migration” that wiped all our data because our agency had a records retention policy by default - even when there wasn’t an insurrection or letters from congressional committees - we still had to retain all communications. 5/

In order to permanently delete communications, an IT administrator would have to wipe the cloud. In fact, I’ve gone back after leaving service to get emails and texts through FOIA successfully. Seems like you’d have to go WELL out of your way to remove communications 6/

I look forward to your response to the 1/6 committee, along with the reasons you failed to follow document retention policy in general under title 44 USC 3101, and why you ignored the 1/16 congressional request and continued with your “systems migration” 7/

Along with what “systems” you were migrating and how that permanently deleted communications. Not to mention why a factory reset was necessary, and how resetting a device magically erased comms on the cloud. Maybe you have a special reason. Thanks! END/

PS: If they did somehow "accidentally" lose all the comms, they'd have found that out on the first couple of phone migrations and stopped. Their excuse is just unreasonably stupid.

PPS: The USSS excuse kept changing!

https://twitter.com/hugolowell/status/1548348114968272896?s=20&t=Ytm8WE_gHsK0RUo-w9njnA