WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) – About 1,900 social security numbers belonging to at least three Republican governors and several Trump cabinet members and allies were released in a recent document dump by the January 6th Committee.
According to the Washington Post, which first broke the story last week, the social security numbers were buried in a “massive cache” on a spreadsheet of the White House’s visitor logs for a day in December 2020. The spreadsheet was taken down Wednesday. An updated version of the spreadsheet which redacted the social security numbers was eventually posted by the Government Publishing Office (GPO), which publishes materials at the behest of the federal government.
The GPO did not apparently notify anyone whose social security number was leaked. Speaking to the Post, James Lee, Identity Theft Resource Center COO, said that those whose information was leaked now face an “elevated risk” of identity theft, and should proceed to follow tips for victims of identity crime, such as freeze credit and set up credit and account monitoring.
While most of the social security numbers on the spreadsheet were redacted, among those who have suffered apparent release of their social security numbers are Republican Govs. Gregg Abbott of Texas, Henry McMasters of South Carolina, and Kristi Noem of South Dakota. Social security numbers for Trump-era Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson were also apparently published. Abbot, McMaster, and Azar either “declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment” from the Post about whether the numbers listed as their social security numbers were indeed theirs.
“Many of those contacted by The Post declined to confirm whether their Social Security numbers matched the ones listed in the file, citing privacy concerns,” the newspaper reported.
Gov. Noem, however, sent a letter to the White House, the National Archives, GPO and Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Chairman of the January 6th Committee.
The letter, penned by Noem’s attorney James Moore, states “Governor Noem and her family are now at a very high risk of identity theft and being personally compromised due to the failure to redact the social security numbers.”
“This wrongful public dissemination of Governor Noem and her family’s social security numbers is a direct violation of federal law,” the letter continues.
“Furthermore, we expect a detailed response addressing how the breach of privacy occurred, who was responsible, what steps each of you has taken to remedy the breach, and what specific measures and remedies will be taken to protect Governor Noem and her family in light of the public dissemination of their private information and the heightened risk for identity theft and other future privacy violations.”
The social security numbers of Noem’s husband, two daughters, son, and son-in-law were also published.
In a statement provided to LifeSiteNews, Thompson’s office said, “In our desire to make public all the supporting documentation behind the Select Committee’s findings, and be transparent with the American people about the attempted coup on January 6, 2021, an unredacted version of a document was inadvertently made public. As soon as this mistake was discovered, GPO removed it from its website — consistent with its existing policies to protect personal information.”
My lawyers have asked the @WhiteHouse, the @USNatArchives, and @BennieGThompson which of them is responsible for leaking the Social Security Numbers of me, my husband, my 3 kids, and my son-in-law.
What specific measures and remedies will be taken to protect our identities? pic.twitter.com/HWBu5ukWPP
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) January 6, 2023
Ben Carson: This is a ‘frightening reminder of the current state in Washington’
Other people connected with un-redacted social security numbers on the spreadsheet include an unnamed federal district court and a federal appeals court judge, at least six people who testified before the Committee, and a lawyer who represented someone who testified before the Committee, FOX News reported.
The visitor logs were handed over to the Committee by the National Archives. While a February 2022 letter to the National Archives from White House lawyer Dana Remus stated that the Committee agreed to accept the White House visitor logs with the birthdays and social security numbers redacted, the National Archives, commenting to the Post, stated that “while we took affirmative steps to redact personally identifiable information (PII), we did not expect that the Committee would publicly release records that still may have contained PII.”
The Archives further stated that “[This] was the first we had heard of a potential inadvertent release of personally identifiable information” and that “we are assessing the situation and any necessary steps to address an inadvertent release.”
Similarly, Gary Somerset, a spokesman for the GPO, told the Post that the office “does not edit or alter materials provided by Congress for publication,” and that as a “temporary measure,” the office removed the logs from its site while “our teammates scan other documents” for personally identifiable information.
A former aide for the Committee speaking under condition of anonymity told the Post that “any release of such information was inadvertent,” saying that records publicly released by the Committee “underwent a review process” to ensure personal information would not be released.
Carson, commenting on the leak, said that “Whether it was a careless and sloppy handling of records or a deliberate disregard of decorum, either scenario is a perfunctory and callous display of government and a frightening reminder of the current state in Washington.”
“President Reagan was a savant indeed — the nine most frightening words to hear are, ‘I am from the government and here to help,’” he continued.
The January 6th Committee was formed in the wake of the 2021 Capitol riot. Lawyers have criticized the panel for its overreach and harassment of those from whom it sought documents. Further, the Committee has been called by former President Donald Trump a “witch hunt” and “sham trial.” According to Trump, the Committee operated without due process or cross examination.
Democrats and left-leaning Republicans have attempted to prove that Trump orchestrated the January 6 riot, which broke out after Trump’s “March to Save America” rally, for nearly two years.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has consistently demonized Trump and his supporters as “threats to Democracy,” using the riot at the Capitol on January 6 as a political tool to go after conservatives.
In recent months, the Biden administration has weaponized its federal law enforcement resources to go after not only Trump, but also his political allies and conservative Americans.