On January 6, 2021, despite a Department of Justice (DOJ) surveillance report revealing that the FBI had 26 confidential human sources (CHS) at the Capitol, CNN and Politico , on Capitol Hill, which emphasized in part that the FBI had no undercover agents.
Politico is story The headline reads, “The FBI did not send undercover agents on January 6, watchdog report debunks conspiracy theories.''
This is incredibly misleading and does not mention the 26 FBI informants who were present on January 6th, including the four who entered the Capitol during the riot. https://t.co/33swUlFAtB pic.twitter.com/nLDbd6np2H
— James Lynch (@jameslynch32) December 12, 2024
of report The Department of Justice's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has concluded that the FBI did not have any covert personnel at the Capitol on January 6th.
“We have found no evidence in the materials we have reviewed or in the testimony we have received that indicates or suggests that the FBI had any agents infiltrating the various protest crowds or the Capitol building on January 6th. ” said the report.
However, the same report states that the FBI had 26 confidential human intelligence sources, or informants, at the Capitol, three of whom were identified as “specific domestic terrorism agents who may be participating in the event.” He said the FBI directed him to attend in person to “debrief on the subject of the case.”
Only one of the three entered the actual Capitol building, and the other two entered restricted areas around the Capitol building, the report said. (Related: Angered by MAGA win, Biden Justice Department attempts final smear on January 6 defendants)
Politico acknowledged these facts in an article, but said, “The report also highlights the fact that some of the Donald Trump supporters who accused the FBI of inciting violence on January 6 to trap Trump supporters “It throws cold water on a theory that has become gospel in the community.” ”
WASHINGTON, DC, January 6: President Donald Trump supporter Jacob Chansley, aka Jake Agnelli, heads to Washington DC to protest the election of President-elect Joseph Biden on January 6, 2021. A gathering will be held at the monument. Biden's election results are scheduled to be certified today. Astrid Riecken of The Washington Post via Getty Images
CNN also reported the same thing. invite Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe appeared on their network Thursday to respond to the “Department of Justice report that found there were no undercover agents at the Capitol on January 6.”
“To be clear, law enforcement has determined that there were no undercover FBI agents present. There were no undercover FBI agents present at the rally or at the Capitol that day. There were three informants. These are civilians who, for their own reasons, are under the jurisdiction of the FBI. In fact, the three people who were dispatched were asked to attend a gathering to report on domestic terrorism targets they were investigating and people they knew would participate.'' he told CNN's Casey Hunt on Thursday.
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe discusses the Justice Department Inspector General's report on the FBI and January 6th.
“The fact that the informant may have been reporting on the subject of the investigation as part of his job… is not a dangerous conspiracy theory… pic.twitter.com/BTEIWODil0
— CNN This Morning with Casey Hunt (@CNNThisMorning) December 13, 2024
McCabe also spoke about 23 other informants identified in the report as having gone to the Capitol of their own volition.
“Another 23 informants have gone, because that's their job. They're people from these communities and extremist groups, reporting to the FBI, providing information, and they're I spend time with these people,” McCabe said.
The report said only four of the 26 people actually entered the Capitol. McCabe noted that prosecutors have not accused any of the 26 people of having “acted violently or committed a crime.”
However, the OIG report notes that none of the informants were granted access to the restricted grounds or the Capitol building.
Legal expert Jonathan Turley questioned why none of the informants were charged with breaking the law.
“We were told that only three of them were there. The problem is really the other people,” Turley said in a Fox News appearance Thursday. “We've had cases in the past where the defense argued that sources and investigators were very aggressive in inciting people to commit criminal acts. We've had cases in the Michigan case involving the governor I saw the allegations raised there.”
Turley was referring to the 2020 plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. two men adam fox Barry Croft Jr. was convicted of conspiracy to kidnap and possession of a weapon of mass destruction for allegedly plotting to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home.
FBI informants were deeply involved in the conspiracy and outnumbered the two defendants at some meetings, FBI Special Agent Mark Schwiers testified. One of the female informants, Jenny Plank, is said to have shared a room with Croft Jr. at the hotel.
