Anyone involved in this conspiracy is a felon.
Anyone who believes the story is a fool.
Anyone who has seen federal contractor’s requirements for data security, access, backup, etc. knows the redundancy and audit trail that are required, just as Uncle Sam requires them of himself - mostly because redundancy of equipment and procedures equals redundancy of staffing i.e. more federal workers to vote Democrat.
The point is that the fed’s own standard practices make this story even more preposterous.
Some clever Congressman should solicit IT volunteers to recover the e-mails the IRS says it can’t or won’t produce. The volunteers will sign non-disclosures since the IRS will predictably cite taxpayer privacy. When a flood of consultants much smarter and motivated than the fed’s cube critters are set loose on the project let’s see what happens next.