US Secret Service Inspector Carrie Hunnicutt admitted under oath on Monday that she destroyed and altered documents related to an 8 year long lawsuit brought against the Secret Service by current and former African American agents.
From Statesman.com:
Nearly 60 African Americans have alleged in sworn statements that they faced discrimination in the service when they sought promotions. The lawsuit alleges that they were leapfrogged by white agents who scored lower on promotional exams and forced to endure the use of a racial slur on the job and other slights.
Hunicutt was tasked by U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson on December 21st to produce documents related to the case.
During a February 1st hearing:
Without seeing Robinson’s order compelling the service to turn over documents or the plaintiffs earlier motions requesting documents, Hunnicutt testified that she called all 156 senior officials to see what they did to comply with the order. She testified that she called the officials from Jan. 4-9, which included a weekend.
Hunnicutt’s testimony is important because it supports the plaintiff’s allegation in court documents that the service has not thoroughly check its electronic and paper records to adequately respond to the plaintiffs requests, argued E. Desmond Hogan, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs for free.
Hunnicutt was taking so long to respond to many of Hogan's questions, even asking for them to be repeated, that Judge Robinson asked her if she had a medical condition that would cause her to be inattentive in court.
And then during a hearing on Monday the 25th:
Hunnicutt testified that she destroyed surveys she had collected from about 50 high-ranking officials; a statistical report concerning promotions; and fax sheets and documents that showed who was contacted during the service’s search for paper documents in the case. Under questioning by assistant U.S. attorney Michelle Johnson, Hunnicutt said she destroyed the documents because she wanted the most accurate ones to be sent to court.
Hunnicutt said she noticed that some of the surveys were misnumbered. So she "transferred" the correct information to newly numbered surveys.
Six of the original surveys did survive though, and when the court compared the originals to Hunnicutt's "transferred" documents, they found she had added information.
"Inspector Hunnicutt’s admission that before destroying the original she altered the answer on at least one of the documents that ultimately was provided to the court raises serious concerns about the Secret Service’s motive in destroying these documents," Hogan said.