Outside Firm: Stenehjem, Seibel Emails Cannot Be Resurrected

BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR/AP) — An outside evaluation has determined that deleted emails by North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and his deputy, Troy Seibel, no longer exist and cannot be resurrected.

Current Attorney General Drew Wrigley said Stenehjem’s account was deleted by an employee in January after his sudden death, at Seibel’s direction.

Seibel’s account was deleted in May, two months after he quit.

Wrigley calls the move concerning but not illegal.

Wrigley had Planet Technologies, Inc. do the outside evaluation of the email accounts.

Democratic House Minority Leader Josh Boschee of Fargo previously said the issue shows the need for “some sort of statute or policy to make sure we protect the integrity” of emails by state officials.

The Associated Press reports the revelation of the deleted emails was made public in July in response to an open records request about a $1.8 million cost overrun on the lease for the attorney general’s office when Stenehjem was in charge.