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2h ago

Report: FBI Told Congress 275 Plainclothes Employees Were in Jan. 6 Crowds

The reported figure revives scrutiny of the bureau's definitions of plainclothes personnel versus undercover roles.

President Donald Trumps supporters gather outside the Capitol building in Washington D.C., United States on January 06, 2021. | Getty Images
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Overview

  • Blaze Media, citing a senior congressional source, reports the FBI acknowledged having 275 plainclothes employees embedded among demonstrators at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
  • The disclosure follows a December 2024 DOJ inspector general report that found no FBI undercover employees in the protest crowds and identified 26 confidential human sources, four of whom entered the Capitol, with none authorized to commit crimes.
  • House investigator Rep. Barry Loudermilk signaled plans to press for details on how many personnel were in the crowd or inside the building and whether any were instructed to instigate unlawful activity.
  • It remains unclear whether the 275 figure includes FBI-associated personnel highlighted in a May 2024 court filing by former defendant William Pope, which listed nearly 50 individuals working under the bureau’s auspices on Jan. 6.
  • Separate from informants and plainclothes personnel, tactical teams from the FBI, ATF, and the U.S. Marshals Service were on site, and the bureau had previously resisted congressional efforts to quantify its presence.