Public reports, congressional hearings, and media coverage

DOJ Report: FBI Had 26 Confidential Sources at Capitol on Jan. 6, No Undercover Agents

Dec 12, 2024, 06:22 PM

The Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has released a report detailing the FBI's use of confidential human sources (CHS) during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. According to the report, the FBI had 26 CHSs in Washington, D.C., on that day, with 17 of them entering restricted areas, including four who entered the Capitol itself. The OIG found no evidence that the FBI had deployed undercover agents within the crowds. The report also clarified that none of the CHSs were authorized by the FBI to enter the Capitol or restricted areas or to encourage others to commit illegal acts. Despite their presence and actions, none of these CHSs have been prosecuted to date. Additionally, FBI Director Christopher Wray resigned following the report's release, and the FBI's intelligence collection efforts leading up to the event were criticized for lacking coordination, which may have contributed to the agency's limited role in responding to the riot.