(WATCH) Ted Cruz Grills FBI On Ray Epps, Asks If FBI Had Informants On Jan. 6 (VIDEO)
Sen. Ted Cruz grilled a top FBI officer on Tuesday asking whether any FBI informants were present at the Jan. 6 riots, directly referencing a man named Ray Epps.
Jill Sanborn, executive assistant director for the national security section of the FBI, said she could not disclose “sources and methods” when confronted with these questions from Cruz. Sanborn stated that she was not aware of any FBI agents promoting violent or illegal behavior on January 6.
Senator @tedcruz's Full Questioning Of The FBI At Senate Judiciary Hearing Today About Whether There Were FBI Informants Present On January 6th And Ray Epps
"How many FBI agents or confidential informants actively participated in the events of January 6th?"
"Who is Ray Epps?" pic.twitter.com/Haufq3kym2
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) January 11, 2022
Sen. Cruz referenced a widely spread video that shows Epps, a believed federal informant, encouraging Trump supporters to enter the Capitol the night before the January 6th protest. The crowd chanted “fed, fed, fed” in response.
How many January 6th protesters were actually working for the federal government? In October, I asked AG Garland while he was under oath and he refused to answer. He looked very nervous and worried when I showed him this video in that hearing.pic.twitter.com/lvd9n4mMHK
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 30, 2021
Epps was originally put on an FBI list following January 6th but was taken off the public posting soon thereafter.
Sanborn acknowledged that she was familiar with Epps, but she was unable to respond to Cruz’s query concerning whether or not he was an FBI agent. Additionally, Sanborn stated that she did not have “the specific background on him.”
During Tuesday’s session, Sen. Tom Cotton accompanied Cruz and questioned Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olson about the case. Cotton asked if the FBI had any plainclothes operatives among the mass of protesters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Olson stated that he was unable to provide a response to that issue. Olson also stated that he did not have any information about Epps at this time.
According to a Revolver News investigation, there are three persons who are suspected of participating in the Capitol protest on January 6, 2021, who have now mysteriously vanished off the FBI’s Capitol Violence Most Wanted list without explanation.
Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz attempted to deflect attention away from the Democratic-led commemoration ceremonies of Jan. 6 in Congress by alleging that FBI agents were involved in the disturbances.
EXCLUSIVE: @RepMTG and @mattgaetz Hold Press conference about Jan 6 Political Prisoners. https://t.co/6kDCntQB3U
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) January 6, 2022
Stay tuned to The Scoop for any updates.
