Topline
President Donald Trump on Saturday falsely claimed FBI agents were among instigators during protests at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, despite an earlier probe finding no federal agents were undercover among the crowds.
An earlier probe found “no evidence” the FBI had undercover agents in protests at the Capitol.
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Key Facts
Trump, writing on Truth Social, said it “now turns out, FBI Agents were at, and in, the January 6th Protest, probably acting as Agitators and Insurrectionists, but certainly not as ‘law enforcement officials.’”
Trump appears to be citing reports from conservative outlets The Blaze and Just The News, which reported Thursday, citing an “after-action report,” the FBI deployed more than 250 plainclothes agents to the Capitol on Jan. 6 armed “with guns after the violence started.”
“That’s two in a row, Comey and Wray, who got caught LYING,” Trump claimed, appearing to suggest charges may be brought against former FBI Director Christopher Wray, after Wray’s predecessor James Comey was indicted earlier this week on charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a Congressional proceeding.
Last year, the Justice Department’s inspector general reported “hundreds” of FBI agents were deployed to the Capitol to assist Capitol Police, though there was “no evidence” the FBI had “undercover employees in the various protest crowds, or at the Capitol, on January 6.”
While no agents were among the crowd, the inspector general found 26 confidential sources had attended, though none were employed by the agency and none disclosed whether they would participate.
This is a developing story.
