Bad Watchdog Episode 1: The Missing Text Messages

Jan 26, 2023

How did a peaceful transfer of power turn into the first breach of the U.S. Capitol in over two centuries? We may never have all the answers, thanks to the DHS watchdog’s failure to alert Congress for months about deleted Secret Service text messages. What’s more, Cuffari refused a request to help recover the text messages and halted an internal Secret Service investigation into their deletion.

Government watchdogs, called inspectors general, are supposed to hold powerful actors accountable. When they don’t do their jobs, the impacts can be disastrous. Investigators at the Project On Government Oversight examine Cuffari’s initial response to the missing Secret Service text messages and explore his abrupt change of course after a former White House aide gave shocking testimony about then-President Trump’s actions on January 6th.


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