A new Justice Department report on January 6th, 2021 confirms that the Capitol was crawling with over two dozen federal informants during the riot, with some sharing updates with FBI handlers as the chaos progressed.
The findings provide support for speculation about the federal government's role in the Capitol breach, which some Donald Trump supporters have alleged was a set-up.
The Office of Inspector General report suggests that the feds, at the very least, anticipated violence and missed opportunities to stop it.
"For those keeping score at home, this was labeled a dangerous conspiracy theory months ago," vice president-elect J.D. Vance wrote in response to the report.
The review identified three FBI informants who were directed to travel to Washington D.C. to monitor potential domestic terrorists before the January 6th certification.
An additional 23 FBI informants were present during the riot. Four of them entered the Capitol and another 13 entered the restricted area around the Capitol. While none of the FBI informants present were authorized to enter the Capitol, none were prosecuted for doing so.
The OIG did not find evidence that the FBI had undercover employees embedded in the crowd. However some of the informants who were present provided updates to their FBI handlers while the riot was in progress.
The FBI also received information prior to the event about the possibility of violence from sources connected to militia groups like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, whose leaders have received some of the longest January 6th sentences for crimes like seditious conspiracy.
One of the informants "indicated they had concerns for the safety of Members of Congress on Jan. 6.”
While it's customary for the FBI to canvass field offices before a major national event, they did not do this for the electoral certification on January 6th, 2021, the OIG found, with FBI deputy director Paul Abbate calling this a "basic step that was missed."
Still, the feds anticipated possible violence and played a "supporting role" in preparing, which enabled the FBI to rapidly mobilize tactical assets to assist with local police once the violence started.
"Indeed, after the Capitol was breached by rioters on January 6, the FBI was in a position to deploy tactical assets to help clear the Capitol of protesters and to help USCP secure the perimeter around the Capitol Complex," the report said.
Over 1,500 defendants have been charged over January 6th. President-elect Trump has promised to pardon many of them when he returns to office in January.
