Well, well, well—another politician “accidentally” deleting messages. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has reportedly been wiping her text messages, making it impossible for journalists to obtain them through public records requests. And wouldn’t you know it, this just happens to be surfacing right when people are trying to get information about her response to the devastating L.A. fires that broke out while she was in Ghana on an overseas trip.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Bass’s office admitted that her texts are gone—permanently—because her phone is set not to save them.
“Her phone is set not to save text messages,” said David Michaelson, an attorney for the city.
And just like that, all evidence of her communications is gone. How convenient.
But here’s the problem: L.A.’s own city policies require records to be kept for at least two years. And under California state law, government communications—including texts—are considered public records that must be preserved.
Bass’s lawyer insists that there’s no specific rule requiring officials to save their text messages. But state law and city policies say otherwise.
The Times suggests that this is a clear violation of both state law and L.A.’s administrative code. The real question is: Will anything be done about it?
Now, it’s up to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman to decide whether to investigate or pursue legal action against Bass. Breitbart News has already reached out to his office for comment.
Given that Bass was out of the country while fires ravaged her city, it’s not hard to imagine that her deleted messages contained something she doesn’t want the public to see—whether that be delayed responses, inadequate coordination, or just a lack of urgency.
This isn’t the first time a politician has conveniently erased communications when they could face scrutiny. Hillary Clinton’s email server comes to mind. So does IRS official Lois Lerner’s missing emails. And more recently, FBI and DOJ officials “losing” texts related to Trump investigations.
Now, it’s Karen Bass’s turn. The formula is always the same:
- Messages get deleted.
- The excuse is “I just didn’t save them.”
- The media barely pushes back.
- The story fades, and no one is held accountable.
The Mayor of Los Angeles just erased public records—records that could contain critical information about how she handled a disaster that harmed thousands of Angelenos. If that’s not a story worth investigating, what is?
