Dec. 12 (UPI) — A report released Thursday by the Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz found no evidence that undercover FBI agents were involved in inciting the Jan. 6 pro-Trump violent mob attack on the U.S. capitol.
The report’s findings reported no FBI undercover employees at the protests or at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The Office of Inspector General report did find three confidential human sources tasked by FBI field offices with traveling to Washington for Jan. 6.
“Our review … concluded that none of these three FBI CHSs were authorized to enter the Capitol or a restricted area, or to otherwise break the law on January 6, nor was any CHS directed by the FBI to encourage others to commit illegal acts on January 6,” the OIG report said.
The report said 26 FBI CHSs in total were in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.
Of those CHSs the report found “4 entered the Capitol during the riot; an additional 13 entered the restricted area around the Capitol, which was a security perimeter established in preparation for the January 6 Electoral Certification; and 9 neither entered a restricted area nor entered the Capitol or otherwise engaged in illegal activity.”
One of them, the report said, was in contact with leadership of the Oath Keepers.
The report said none of the CHSs who entered the Capitol or a restricted area has been prosecuted to date.
Other main findings are that the FBI took significant and appropriate steps in advance of Jan. 6 to prepare for its supporting role.
The report also found the FBI failed to canvass field offices for intelligence from confidential human sources prior to Jan. 6.
The inspector general report said that a canvass “could have helped the FBI and law enforcement with Jan. 6 preparations.”
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said the canvass was a “basic step that was missed.”
Also noted in the report was “confusion and a lack of coordination” that contributed to the FBI’s inaccurate report to Congress that it has canvassed field offices.”
But the inspector general found the FBI did not intentionally mislead Congress about the canvass of field offices.
The Office of Inspector general made one recommendation to the FBI “to assess the policies and procedures it uses to prepare for events that it determines present potential domestic security issues.”
The FBI agreed with the recommendation.
“We found no evidence in the materials we reviewed or the testimony we received showing or suggesting that the FBI had undercover employees in the various protest crowds, or at the Capitol, on January 6,” the report said.
More than 1500 people have been charged in the Capitol attack.
