A newly released report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General has confirmed that FBI informants were present during the events of January 6, 2021, including some who entered the Capitol building.
The findings have validated concerns raised by Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who has long questioned the federal government’s involvement in the Capitol riot.
Rep. Massie, who has consistently grilled top DOJ officials about federal involvement on January 6, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday to respond to the report.
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“For years I was called a conspiracy theorist for asking Garland, Wray, and Horowitz whether government assets participated in J6,” Massie wrote. “Yesterday I was vindicated. DOJ IG report confirms there were FBI confidential human sources in the crowd, entering the Capitol, and breaking laws.”
Massie’s post included a video compilation of his past questioning of Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and FBI Inspector General Michael Horowitz during congressional hearings.
Each official either denied knowledge or claimed unawareness of federal assets present at the Capitol during the riot.
For years I was called a conspiracy theorist for asking Garland, Wray, and Horowitz whether government assets participated in J6.
Yesterday I was vindicated.
DOJ IG report confirms there were FBI confidential human sources in the crowd, entering the Capitol, and breaking laws. pic.twitter.com/0spxGu6Wt9
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 13, 2024
The Inspector General’s report, released Thursday, stated: “We found no evidence in the materials we reviewed or the testimony we received showing or suggesting that the FBI had undercover employees in the various protest crowds, or at the Capitol, on January 6.”
However, the report revealed that 26 confidential human sources (CHS) working for the FBI were present in Washington, D.C., during the protests.
Four of these informants entered the Capitol building, while 13 others accessed the restricted areas surrounding the Capitol.
The report clarified that none of the confidential sources were authorized to enter the Capitol or break the law, yet four of them did so.
Confidential human sources, or CHSs, provide the FBI with intelligence on criminal, terrorist, and espionage networks that threaten national security.
These informants are often compensated for the information they supply to federal authorities.
The presence of informants who crossed legal boundaries during the Capitol riot raises questions about the extent of their activities and their communication with the FBI.
In the years since January 6, Massie has repeatedly pressed DOJ and FBI leadership for clarity on the federal presence during the riot.
The Inspector General’s findings suggest that key DOJ officials were either unaware of the involvement of these informants or unwilling to disclose it during congressional hearings.
The report’s admission comes after years of denials and lack of transparency.
During past hearings, Garland, Wray, and Horowitz all claimed to have no knowledge of how many federal assets were present or their activities on January 6.
The revelation of federal informants’ involvement in the Capitol riot adds a new layer to the ongoing scrutiny of the DOJ and FBI’s handling of the events surrounding January 6.
While the report states that these informants were not authorized to break the law, their actions raise concerns about the role of federal agencies during one of the most contentious events in recent history.
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