Kash Patel has walked back false claims by his boss Donald Trump that undercover FBI agents may have caused the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, stating instead that agents were sent on a “crowd control mission.”
The FBI Director stopped short of agreeing with the president that the agents present on the day had been the “agitators,” but agreed that sending them into the mob was a breach of Bureau protocol.
It comes after Trump posted a trademark rant on Truth Social in which he claimed former FBI Director Christopher Wray had lied multiple times to Congress and had some “major explaining to do.”
“That’s right, as it now turns out, FBI Agents were at, and in, the January 6th Protest, probably acting as Agitators and Insurrectionists, but certainly not as ‘Law Enforcement Officials,’” the president fumed.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Patel clarified that: “Agents were sent into a crowd control mission after the riot was declared by Metro Police – something that goes against FBI standards.
“This was the failure of a corrupt leadership that lied to Congress and to the American people about what really happened.”
Patel added: “Thanks to agents coming forward, we are now uncovering the truth. We are fully committed to transparency, and justice and accountability continues with this FBI.”
Right-wing media reported Friday that FBI agents were involved in the riot, perhaps prompting the president’s remarks online.
“I want to know who each and every one of these so-called “Agents” are, and what they were up to on that now “Historic” Day,” Trump continued in his post. Many Great American Patriots were made to pay a very big price only for the love of their Country. I owe this investigation of ‘Dirty Cops and Crooked Politicians’ to them!”
An FBI official acknowledged to Fox News Digital that Wray should have disclosed that agents had been present at the Capitol on the day of the riots, but said there was no indication that any FBI agents were involved in the way the president had claimed.
In addition, last year the Department of Justice confirmed that the FBI had sent “hundreds” of agents to the Capitol to assist in pushing back against Trump loyalists and to investigate pipe bombs placed outside the national headquarters of both the Democratic and Republican parties.
The report also found that 26 FBI confidential informants — individuals not employed by the FBI but who have at times provided information — were in the crowd.
However, almost all of them were there without informing the bureau ahead of time, and none were found to have been instructed to instigate or participate in violence.
