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PULSE POINTS
❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) disclosed the presence of 275 plainclothes agents in the crowds on Jan. 6, 2021, after years of refusing to be transparent.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: FBI agents, confidential human sources, and other federal personnel, including tactical teams from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and U.S. Marshals Service.
📍WHEN & WHERE: January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C, with the plainclothes revelation made on September 25, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “With that many paid informants being in the crowd, we want to know how many were in the crowd, how many were in the building, but I also want to know, were they paid to inform or instigate?” – Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)
🎯IMPACT: The disclosure raises further questions about the FBI’s role and potential involvement in the events of January 6.
IN FULL
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has admitted that 275 plainclothes agents were present in the crowds on January 6, 2021, years after concerns about the agency’s potential involvement were first raised. This acknowledgment follows a December 2024 report by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General (OIG), which stated that there was no evidence of “undercover” FBI employees in the protest crowds or at the Capitol that day.
The OIG report also noted that 26 FBI confidential human sources were present on January 6, with four entering the Capitol. However, the report claimed that none of these informants were directed to break the law, enter restricted areas, or incite illegal activities.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), chairman of the House January 6 Select Subcommittee, has voiced his intent to investigate the FBI’s presence further. “With that many paid informants being in the crowd, we want to know how many were in the crowd, how many were in the building, but I also want to know, were they paid to inform or instigate?” Loudermilk questioned during a recent interview.
The disclosure also comes amid revelations about undercover Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers who admitted to inciting the crowd by encouraging protesters to climb barriers and applauding acts of vandalism. Much of the video footage recorded by these officers has not been released, despite legal efforts to obtain it.
FBI tactical teams were also deployed to the Capitol on January 6, assisting in clearing the building after the fatal shooting of unarmed protester Ashli Babbitt. The involvement of other federal agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Marshals Service, further underscores the significant federal presence that day.
Image by Tyler Merbler.
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