FBI informants stormed Capitol on Jan. 6, but probe says bureau didn’t authorize it
An inspector general revealed Thursday that the FBI had over two dozen informants in Washington, surrounding the chaos caused by the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Four of these informants entered the building during the protests.
Investigators say that 13 other informants made up the mob which broke into the Capitol grounds, breached the restricted area, but did not enter the building.
No one has been charged.
There was no evidence to suggest that FBI agents in disguise were involved with the protests.
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In total, 13 FBI informants or, in FBI jargon: confidential human sources, have breached the restricted area around the Capitol. Other 13 informants in Washington were connected to the election-related demonstrations, but they did not invade the Capitol.
The investigation concluded that “none of these FBI CHSs was authorized to enter or otherwise violate the law in the Capitol on January 6. Nor was any CHS instructed by the FBI to encourage other CHSs to commit illegal acts.”
The FBI played a secondary role, with local law-enforcement agencies and U.S. Capitol Police leading the way. Some conservative circles have embraced the idea that FBI employees were involved in fomenting violence.
The FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said to Congress in 2013 that the notion that the violence on the Capitol grounds of Jan. 6, was somehow part of an operation orchestrated and directed by FBI agents and sources is absurd and a disservice done to our brave and hardworking men and women.
He refused to confirm whether informants had been used.
The Washington Times reported for the first time in July 2023, that an FBI whistleblower had told Congress that there were at least 25 informants used around protests. However, they were not publicly acknowledged.
Paul Abbate, FBI deputy director and whistleblower disclosed, said that their existence was embarrassing.
Inspector General said informants gave general information on the growing unrest among “normal conservatives”, amid concerns about the results of the 2020 presidential elections.
The FBI assigned some informants to provide information on the Oathkeepers and Proud Boys. The FBI investigates right-wing anti-government groups that are considered domestic terrorists.
Inspector General concluded that FBI did not share or follow-up on certain information.
The FBI welcomed the fact that its undercover agents did not participate in the protests. The FBI said that it “disagreed” with certain conclusions regarding the scope of informant activity.
The FBI accepted the Inspector General’s recommendation that future events be assessed for possible domestic terrorism.
Inspector General said that informants had been keeping tabs on certain actors long before January 6. This included reporting activities of Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and other actors.
Two of the 26 informants that traveled to Washington, D.C. on January 6 were specifically sent by the FBI to monitor the progress of investigations into domestic terrorism. One informant was on their own initiative heading to Washington when the FBI asked them to report about a domestic terror subject.
Two of the three trespassers breached the restricted area.
Four informants were found in the Capitol, and nine others within the restricted area but not the Capitol.
The Justice Department is zealous about pursuing participants of the Jan. 6 but hasn’t arrested any informants.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia responded to the Inspector General’s question by saying: “The D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office has generally not charged individuals whose sole crime on January 6, 2020 was to enter restricted grounds around the Capitol. This has led to the Office declining hundreds of charges; and we’ve treated the CHSs in accordance with this approach.”
It does not seem to cover the four informants that broke into the Capitol.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the report beyond what it said in its statement.
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