Undercover FBI agents were not present during the 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Donald Trump supporters, a Justice Department watchdog said in a report Thursday, debunking a popular right-wing conspiracy theory.
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said in 88, “In the materials we reviewed or the testimony we received, we found no evidence that the FBI had undercover personnel in the various protest crowds or at the Capitol on January 6.” -Page Report.
Thousands of Trump supporters descended on the US Capitol on January 6 to stop congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.
Right-wing media and even some Republican lawmakers have falsely claimed that undercover FBI agents instigated the attack on Congress, which occurred after Trump’s fiery speech in which he falsely claimed the election was stolen.
The inspector general said that although no undercover FBI agents were present at the Trump rally or the Capitol, 26 FBI informants, known as confidential human sources (CHS), were in Washington at the time.
Three of the informants were tasked with reporting on domestic terrorism suspects, while the others were there on their own.
The report states, “None of these FBI CHS were authorized to enter the Capitol or restricted area or otherwise break the law on January 6, nor were any CHS authorized by the FBI to assist others in committing illegal acts on January 6.” Was directed to encourage.” ,
The inspector general also said there was a failure by the FBI to gather intelligence before the January 6 attack.
“However, the FBI made significant efforts to identify domestic terrorism individuals who planned to travel to the Capital Region on January 6,” the report said. Preparation.
“Specifically, the FBI did not canvass its field offices prior to January 6, 2021 to identify any intelligence, including CHS reporting, regarding potential threats to the January 6 election certification,” it said.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbott was quoted as saying that this was a “fundamental step that was missed” in “understanding the threat picture before January 6”.
Trump was impeached by the Democratic-majority House of Representatives after the attack on the Capitol, but acquitted by the Senate.
He is scheduled to return to the White House on January 20 after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the November presidential election.
More than 1,500 people have been charged in connection with the attack on Congress. Trump has praised them as “patriots” and “political prisoners” and has promised to pardon many of them if they return to the White House.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
