Nearly four years after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a new Department of Justice watchdog report sheds light on the FBI’s involvement that day. The inspector general’s report reveals both the absence of undercover FBI agents and the presence of FBI informants. However, how this information is being reported varies widely depending on the political leanings of news outlets.
Left-leaning outlets are focusing on one aspect of the report, while right-leaning outlets are highlighting another.
CNN: “No undercover FBI agents were at the January 6 US Capitol riot, watchdog reports.”
Politico: “FBI didn’t deploy undercover agents on Jan. 6, watchdog report finds, undercutting conspiracy theories.”
Fox News: “DOJ IG reveals 26 FBI informants were present on Jan. 6.”
New York Post: “FBI had 26 informants at Jan. 6 Capitol riots — and most were involved, bombshell DOJ report confirms”
The inspector general’s report confirms both of these claims. It found that the FBI did not deploy undercover agents or employ individuals at the Capitol that day. However, it also stated that approximately two dozen informants who report intelligence back to the bureau — aka “confidential human sources” — were present.
Of the 26 informants, three were instructed by the FBI to attend the Capitol, while the others acted independently, according to the report. Four informants entered the Capitol building, one of whom was assigned by the FBI to be there, while 13 entered “restricted grounds.”
Left-leaning outlets are largely reporting that the findings debunk conspiracy theories about the FBI’s involvement in the riot, while right-leaning outlets are framing the report as evidence of the FBI’s presence among the rioters.
Politico’s coverage begins: “A Justice Department watchdog found no evidence that the FBI deployed undercover agents to the Capitol or nearby protests on Jan. 6, 2021, further undercutting debunked conspiracy theories about the riot being instigated by law enforcement.”
In contrast, the New York Post reported: “The FBI had at least 26 confidential informants on the ground in Washington, DC, during the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol — most of whom engaged in illegal activity during the chaos… Leadership at the bureau had long been adamant that it did not have sources who ‘orchestrated’ the riot.”
Differences in interpretation were also evident in broadcast coverage.
“The FBI had 26 confidential human sources there that day,” Fox News primetime host Jesse Watters, said during Thursday’s show. “A confidential human source is a guy the FBI pays to spy for them.” One host added, “They’re just freelancing for the feds. Rats in MAGA hats.”
CNN’s anchors started their coverage with, “There were no undercover FBI employees at the Capitol during the riot. This finding runs directly counter to speculation from allies of Trump who for years have suggested the violence that day was provoked by federal agents.”
MSNBC and Fox News took swings at the other side’s interpretation.
“I just think this is definitely something the right-wing media is going to run with,” Ryan Reilly, justice reporter, said Thursday on MSNBC. “That number is certainly going to raise a lot of concerns on the right, and it’s something Republicans in Congress have honed in on — this notion that this was all driven by confidential human sources. To be clear, the report says there is zero evidence whatsoever that any of these individuals were instructed to do anything by the FBI. It’s just what they did on their own.”
Meanwhile, Watters on Fox News said, “The media today is cherry-picking the report to show there were no undercover agents there on Jan. 6, the whole thing is a conspiracy. These aren’t articles, they’re FBI press releases.”
The inspector general’s report, while intended to clarify the FBI’s involvement on Jan. 6, has done little to bridge the political divide surrounding the events of that day. The debate over the riot continues to fuel division in American politics and media.
