Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz on Thursday revealed that more than two dozen confidential human sources (CHSs) were outside the Capitol building during the January 6 protests.
The FBI only assigned three CHSs to be present during the protests, and the report emphasized that none of the sources were authorized or directed by the bureau to “break the law” or “encourage others to commit illegal acts.”
The report explained:
Today’s report also details our findings regarding FBI CHSs who were in Washington, D.C., on January 6. 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 revealed that the FBI had a minor supporting role in responding on Jan. 6, 2021 — largely because the event was not deemed at the highest security level by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),” Fox News explained.
The report continued:
One FBI field office tasked a CHS to travel to DC to report on the activities of a predicated domestic terrorism subject who was separately planning to travel to DC for the January 6 Electoral Certification; a second FBI field office tasked a CHS to travel to DC to potentially report on two domestic terrorism (DT) subjects from another FBI field office who were planning to travel to DC for the events of January 6; and a third CHS, who had informed their handling agent that they intended to travel to DC on their own initiative for the events of January 6, was similarly tasked by their field office to potentially report on two DT subjects from other FBI field offices who were planning to travel to DC for the events of January 6.
Horowitz said that investigators “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 FBI, in reaction to the Horowitz report, stated that the bureau:
… did not have primary responsibility for intelligence collection or event security on January 6 but nonetheless ‘recognized the potential for violence and took significant and appropriate steps to prepare forthis supporting role.’ Further, the Report includes the OIG’s analysis regarding the FBI’s use of confidential human sources (CHSs), and concludes that no FBI CHSs ‘were authorized 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 bureau also said it will accept the inspector general’s recommendations to “assess the processes and procedures it uses to prepare for events that it determines present potential domestic security issues — but have not been designated as NSSE or SEAR events by DHS — to ensure that its processes and procedures set forth with clarity the division of responsibilities between and within the relevant FBI field office and FBI Headquarters.”
“This report confirms what we suspected,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The FBI had encouraged and tasked confidential human sources to be at the Capitol that day. There were 26 total present. Four entered the Capitol and weren’t charged, which is not the same treatment that other Americans received.”
“This has been our concern all along — agencies being weaponized against the American people. It’s not how our system is supposed to work,” he added.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) wrote on Thursday, “It’s no coincidence that FBI Director Wray announced his resignation just prior to the release of the IG report exposing activities of FBI confidential human sources at the Capitol on Jan 6. For four years, I pressed for answers on this. Now the malfeasance is finally exposed.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
