The head of the FBI refused to answer direct questions from a Republican lawmaker about whether he had undercover agents masquerading as supporters of former President Donald Trump as Jan. 6, 2021, riot unfolded.
Yet FBI Director Christopher Wray continued to deny that his agents acted as instigators of the violence that day, according to CNSNews.com.
The showdown occurred on Tuesday as Wray testified before the House Homeland Security Committee.
According to CNSNews, GOP Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana asked Wray, “Did the FBI have confidential human sources embedded within the January 6 protesters on January 6, 2021?”
Wray replied, “Congressman, as I’m sure you can appreciate, I have to be very careful about what I can say about when — may I finish — about when we do and do not and where we have and have not used confidential human sources.”
“But to the extent that there’s a suggestion, for example, that the FBI’s confidential human sources or FBI employees in some way, instigated or orchestrated January 6, that’s categorically false,” he added.
Higgins, however, was not satisfied.
“Did you have confidential human sources dressed as Trump supporters inside the Capitol on January 6, prior to the doors being opened?” the congressman asked.
When Wray again maintained that he had to be “very careful” in how he answered, Higgins interrupted. “It should be a no,” he said. “Can you not tell the American people no, we did not have confidential human sources dressed as Trump supporters positioned inside the Capitol?” Higgins added.
Wray replied, “You should not read anything into my decision not to share information on confidential human sources.”
The question went unanswered.
Yet Wray’s denials emerged just as defense lawyers for Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, and four other members of the group argued that the FBI had inside informants on Jan. 6.
As The Free Press reported Tuesday, lawyers for Tarrio and the others, who face trial next month on charges of seditious conspiracy and other offenses, maintained that the FBI infiltrated the group with up to eight informants. They also allege prosecutors withheld that information from the defense.
Meanwhile, last week, outgoing Rep. Liz Cheney, the Republican selected by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on the special Jan. 6 committee, dismissed questions about why Ray Epps has not been prosecuted.
Trump supporters have circulated videos of Epps on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 encouraging people to enter the Capitol that day.
Epps himself reportedly admitted to trespassing in restricted areas on Jan. 6, but unlike many who never even entered the Capitol, he has never been arrested or charged. In fact, the FBI identified Epps as one of the first 20 people it sought in connection to the riot, but then later took his picture down without explanation.
Appearing at the University of Chicago on Friday, according to JustTheNews.com, two students asked Cheney if she believed Epps should be charged because his actions were similar to those of the Proud Boys.
Cheney deflected the question, saying the decision to prosecute belongs to the Justice Department, not Congress.
Although she did not discuss what Epps told the Jan.6 committee when interviewed, she repeatedly dismissed allegations that he was an FBI asset as a “conspiracy theory” and a “lie.”
“The conspiracy theory about Ray Epps is just a lie, it’s just not true,” Cheney said at one point.
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