By Alannah Durkin-Richer and Eric Tucker, Associated Press
Washington (AP) According to a watchdog report released Thursday, the FBI did prepare for the prospect of violence on January 6, 2021, but it should have done more to gather intelligence before to the Capitol riot. Additionally, it stated that none of the FBI’s informants had permission to participate and that there were no undercover agents on the scene that day.
The Justice Department inspector general’s office report disproves a fringe conspiracy theory put forth by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI was involved in causing the violent altercation with police that day when rioters who were determined to overturn Republican Donald Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election stormed the building.
Nearly four years after a troubling period in history that rocked the foundation of American democracy, the review was published.
Although the report’s scope is limited, it attempts to clarify persistent issues that have dominated public discussion, such as whether significant intelligence lapses occurred prior to the incident and whether any members of the crowd were acting on behalf of the FBI. It is the most recent significant inquiry into a day that is unprecedented in American history and has already resulted in federal and state prosecutions as well as congressional inquiries.
On January 6, the watchdog discovered that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests. Three of them entered the building or a restricted area outside, but none of them received the bureau’s permission to do so, breach the law, or incite others to do so.
Additionally, the investigation concluded that although the FBI took the necessary preparations for the events of January 6, it did not thoroughly search its 56 field offices nationwide for pertinent intelligence.
Days after the incident, the watchdog began its extensive investigation after learning that the FBI’s Norfolk, Virginia, field office had issued a report on January 5, 2021, warning of the possibility of conflict at the Capitol. According to the former chief of the FBI’s Washington office, he promptly shared the intelligence with other law enforcement agencies via a joint terrorist task force after receiving the Jan. 5 alert.
However, Capitol Police officials have stated that they were not aware of that paper at the time and have maintained that they lacked precise and reliable information that any protest at the Capitol would escalate to a massive assault on the structure.
FBI Director Chris Wray has defended his agency’s handling of the intelligence report. This week, he revealed his intention to step down at the conclusion of President Joe Biden’s term in January. In 2021, he informed legislators that the material was shared via the joint terrorism task force, discussed at a command post in Washington, and made available to other law enforcement agencies via an online site.
According to Wray at the time, we did promptly convey that information to the Capitol Police and the (Metropolitan Police Department) in three separate methods.
Conservative circles, including some Republican senators, have propagated the conspiracy claim that federal law enforcement agents caught mob members. In a recent podcast, Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., implied that the violence was started by operatives posing as Trump fans.
Additionally, in 2021, former Representative Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who resigned as Trump’s choice for attorney general due to concerns about sex trafficking, wrote to Wray to inquire about the number of informants present in the Capitol on January 6 and whether they were active instigators or passive informants.
The number of FBI informants there that day was not previously known. During a congressional hearing last year, Wray declined to disclose the number of individuals who entered the Capitol and adjacent area on January 6 who were either FBI personnel or individuals the FBI had contacted. However, Wray said it is absurd to think that the violence at the Capitol on January 6 was somehow a result of an operation planned by FBI agents and sources.
During the prosecution of former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio last year, one FBI informant testified about marching to the Capitol with other members of his extreme group and spoke to his handler while the crowd of Trump supporters crowded the building. However, none of the Telegram discussions that the Proud Boys were alleged to have used to plan acts of violence in the days preceding January 6 contained the informant.
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