An independent watchdog investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol found no evidence that federal agents were involved in inciting the violence, repudiating baseless claims that the FBI played a major role in the attack.
According to a report released Thursday by Department of Justice Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz, no undercover FBI employees were involved in the riots or instigated any protesters to storm the Capitol.
"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," the report explains.
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Meanwhile, the report found that there were 26 FBI informants in Washington, D.C. on the day of the attack but none were given authorization to participate.
"Our review determined that none of these FBI CHSs was authorized by the FBI to enter the Capitol or a restricted area or to otherwise break the law on January 6, nor was any CHS directed by the FBI to encourage others to commit illegal acts on January 6," the report states.
The investigation found that many of those 26 informants provided the FBI with information prior to the riot that was "no more specific than" what the bureau had already been provided by other sources.
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However, the investigation found there was a "basic step that was missed" by the FBI in the lead-up to Jan. 6, that could've potentially aided in preventing the protest from getting out of hand.
"The FBI could have taken an additional step to canvass its field offices in advance of January 6 to identify any intelligence, including CHS [confidential human sources] reporting, that might have assisted with the FBI and law enforcement partners’ preparations for January 6," the report reads.
Horowitz's report concludes by recommending that the FBI reassess the policies and procedures the bureau has in place to prepare for events that have the potential to cause security issues. The FBI agreed with the inspector general's recommendation.
