Report: Utah House investigator calls AG's missing data 'deeply worrisome'

SALT LAKE CITY (Legal Newsline) -- The lead attorney for a House of Representatives investigation into Utah Attorney General John Swallow told a panel Tuesday that a large number of Swallow's electronic records are missing.

Steven Reich, whose firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, was selected this summer to investigate the embattled attorney general, called the missing records "deeply worrisome."

"I leave open the possibility that there are benign explanations for each of the things that we are seeing," Reich told the House Special Investigative Committee, according to The Associated Press. "But taken as whole, taken across the board, what we have learned as part of our investigation should be very troubling to the committee."

In September, the committee issued a subpoena seeking Swallow's records, including thousands of emails.

A spokesman for the attorney general told the AP he believes the requested records could be, or have been, recovered.

Last month, the results of a survey showed that a majority of Utah voters think Swallow should resign -- even though two other investigations into the attorney general have ceased.

In September, the U.S. Department of Justice, which worked in coordination with the FBI, said it would not bring any charges against Swallow.

In October, the Utah State Bar closed its case against the attorney general.

Swallow is still being investigated by the Lieutenant Governor's Office and the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, along with the House, for various ethics and election law violations.

The attorney general has maintained he has done nothing wrong.

From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.