This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Last night/this morning, The Salt Lake Tribune editorialized thus:

— Legislative panel should keep after Swallow's computer records — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial

"Legislative investigators looking into the sleazy dealings of Attorney General John Swallow — trying to determine if those dealings are sleazy enough to deserve impeachment — must spare no expense in extracting whatever information can be found in the computers belonging to the attorney general and his office.

"Apparently channeling Rose Mary Woods, the loyal secretary who tried to take the rap for erasing the infamous 18½-minute gap in Richard Nixon's secret tapes, Swallow's office has informed the special committee of the Utah Legislature that many of the emails and calendar entries investigators need have disappeared. It has further informed the investigators that nobody intended to erase or delete any information. It just happened. ...

"... The Legislature should not give an inch on this matter."

Today, we learned why getting to the bottom of this is going to be both more difficult and more necessary than we thought.

— Investigators cite troubling pattern in Swallow's disappearing data — Robert Gehrke | The Salt Lake Tribune

"An attorney for a House committee investigating the conduct of Attorney General John Swallow laid out a "troubling" pattern of vanishing electronic data unlike anything he has seen.

" 'It is worrisome that the scope of records lost here touches literally every data device the Attorney General has had, either in the attorney general's office or at home, since he started as chief deputy attorney general'," said Stephen Reich, special counsel to the House committee. ..."

— Missing Swallow records 'deeply worrisome,' committee told — Dennis Romboy, Deseret News

"A lawyer for the Utah House committee investigating Utah Attorney General John Swallow says it's worrisome that records are missing from every electronic device Swallow has had since he became chief deputy four years ago. ..."

— Search continues for John Swallow missing documents — Fox 13 News

"... Investigators said they interviewed two of the three people in the attorney general's office who had access to the information. They said those didn't delete it, and that just leaves Swallow. ..."

Buckle up. This is going to be a bumpy ride.