(MENAFN) According to court documents, the Pentagon erased government-issued phones of senior defense and military officials in the Trump administration, removing any text conversations from important witnesses to the events preceding the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
The unusual action by the Department of Defense was brought to light when American Oversight, a watchdog organization, filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Pentagon on January 6, demanding records from senior officials including former acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller, former chief of staff Kash Patel, and former Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy.
Miller, Patel, and McCarthy have all been seen as critical witnesses due to their roles in former President Donald Trump's administration, which pushed his followers to march on the Capitol and interrupt the certification of Joe Biden's electoral win.
All three were engaged in the Pentagon's response to the deployment of National Guard troops to the Capitol as Trump supporters lay siege to the structure and trashed members' offices.
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