FBI Had Informants in Washington on Jan. 6: Inspector General

Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz prepares to testify in front of a Senate committee at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 18, 2019. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

The FBI had informants in Washington as the U.S. Capitol was breached on Jan. 6, 2021, according to an inspector general report released on Dec. 12.

Twenty-six confidential human sources (CHSs), were in Washington on Jan. 6, U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz said in the report, which is the result of years of work.

The presence of FBI informants in Washington on Jan. 6 has been known, but the exact number has never been confirmed. Confidential informant reports have contributed to the prosecution of members of the Proud Boys and others who took part in the breach.

Horowitz also said that the probe turned up no evidence showing any undercover FBI employees attended the various protests that took place on Jan. 6, or went to the Capitol that day.

All but three of the FBI informants were in Washington on Jan. 6 “in connection with” the protest and other events that took place that day, Horowitz and his team said.

Four of the informants ended up entering the Capitol and 13 others entered the restricted Capitol grounds, despite none of them receiving authorization to do so, the watchdog found.

Nine informants did not enter the Capitol or a restricted area or otherwise commit any crimes.

The other three informants just happened to be in Washington for reasons unrelated to the Jan. 6 events, according to the report.

Of the 26 sources who went to Washington in connection with the protest and other events, two were tasked to report on subjects who the FBI learned were traveling to the nation’s capital for the events. A third informant had been tasked with reporting on people traveling to Washington for the events after notifying their handling agent about their planned travel to Washington.

The other 23 informants had not been tasked by the FBI to travel to Washington. Thirteen of this subset informed their handling agent in advance of the trips, while the other 10 did not. None of the 23 were found to have engaged in illegal activity.

Some lawmakers noted that none of the informants who entered the Capitol or the restricted grounds have been prosecuted.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which has charged more than 1,500 people with crimes related to the breach, told the inspector general that the office “generally has not charged those individuals whose only crime on January 6, 2021 was to enter the restricted grounds surrounding the Capitol ... and we have treated the CHSs consistent with this approach.”

The inspector general’s investigation was launched in 2021, but paused in 2022 to avoid conflict with ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions. The probe resumed in 2023. By then, the inspector general’s office knew that multiple reports had been released on Jan. 6, and endeavored to focus on an area that it felt “has not yet been thoroughly reviewed by other entities.”

Other Findings

Horowitz said that the review found the FBI took significant and appropriate steps leading up to Jan. 6 to prepare for its role that day, which was a supporting capacity.

The preparation included trying to identify known domestic terror subjects who planned to travel to Washington for the certification of electoral votes.

After the Capitol was breached, the FBI was able to deploy agents to help clear the building and help the U.S. Capitol Police secure the perimeter.

“We found that the FBI effectively carried out its tactical support function on January 6,” the report stated.

The inspector general’s office also concluded that the FBI should have canvassed field offices for intelligence from the confidential informants before Jan. 6. Such an action would have helped both the FBI and other agencies prepare for the day, the inspector general said. The report quoted Paul Abbate, the FBI’s deputy director at the time, as saying the lack of a canvass was a “basic step that was missed.”

In a letter dated Dec. 11, the FBI told the inspector general’s office that it disagrees with “certain of the factual assertions in the report regarding the manner of specific steps, and the scope of the canvass undertaken by the FBI in advance of January 6.”

The agency agreed with the recommendation that the FBI look into the processes and procedures it uses to prepare for events that could involve domestic security issues.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the number of informants who had been tasked by the FBI and the agency the inspector general oversees. The Epoch Times regrets the errors.