The House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol is attempting to recover deleted U.S. Secret Service text conversations that could shed light on then-President Donald Trump's actions as the attack unfolded.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, told reporters on Thursday at the Capitol, "If there is a way to reconstruct the texts or whatever else, we will."

The most compelling testimony from the panel's televised hearings involved Trump's conduct during his January 6, 2021, rally near the White House. Cassidy Hutchinson, a former assistant, reported that Trump intended to join the crowd marching on the Capitol but was prevented by his security detail.

The texts could provide light on the incident and security concerns surrounding then-Vice President Mike Pence. They had gone to the Capitol to preside on the certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory by the Electoral College.

The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General has informed the committee that important text messages exchanged by Secret Service officers on January 5 and 6 have been deleted from the computer system.

In a letter to the committee, Inspector General Joseph Cuffari said that the messages were destroyed during equipment replacement only after his office requested them as part of its assault probe. He offered to provide the committee with an update on the issue.

Homeland Security officers consistently informed the Inspector General's staff that they were not permitted to provide records directly to OIG and that such records had to be reviewed by DHS attorneys before being delivered. This review resulted in weeks-long delays in OIG acquiring records and misunderstanding as to whether or not all data were produced," Cuffari wrote in the letter.

Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the Secret Service, tweeted on Thursday evening, "We take strong exception to these categorically false claims, and I will respond in detail shortly." He did not expand.

Thompson stated, in response to a question about whether the committee planned to interview Secret Service officers, "I think it's important for us to obtain as much information as possible about how this discrepancy occurred and then proceed from there."