Originally published July 12, 2023 12:17 pm PDT
In an Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray was confronted with questions regarding the alleged presence of federal agents during the January 6 Capitol incident.
Wray, however, neither confirmed nor denied the exact number or existence of FBI assets on that day.
The inquiry was spearheaded by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) who quoted former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund’s assertion that the protest crowd had numerous federal agents among them.
Wray stated, “I would really have to see more closely exactly what he said and get the full context to be able to evaluate how many agents, or actually agents or human resources, were present at the Capitol complex and the vicinity on January 6.”
Responding to Biggs’ further probe about the number of agents present in an undercover capacity, Wray said, “Again, I’m not sure that I can give you the number as I sit here. I’m not sure there were undercover agents on the scene.”
Wray’s seemingly inconsistent responses led Biggs to challenge the director, pointing out the director’s lack of clarity on the matter.
Biggs, dissatisfied with Wray’s ambiguous stance, said, “At this point, you don’t know whether there were undercover federal agents, FBI agents, in the crowd or in the Capitol on January 6?”
Wray deflected by pointing to ongoing court cases as the reason he couldn’t confirm the exact number of agents, if any, present on January 6.
He mentioned, “There have been a number of court filings related to some of these topics, and I want to make sure that I stick with what’s in them.”
Elsewhere in the hearing, when Rep. Darrell Issa continued to press Wray on the same issue, Wray reiterated his cautious stance.
He stated, “So I really need to be careful here talking about where we have or have not used confidential human sources.”
Wray further denied any FBI involvement in orchestrating the Capitol violence.
He emphasized, “I will say this notion that somehow the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources and agents is ludicrous and is a disservice to our brave, hardworking, dedicated men and women.”
However, Rep. Issa wasn’t satisfied with Wray’s responses and argued, “I asked you simply if there one or more [informants], you won’t answer that. So I’m going to make the assumption that there was more … than ten and that you’re ducking the question because you don’t want to answer for the fact that you had at least one. And somehow [you] missed understanding that some of the individuals were very dangerous and that there were others inciting individuals to enter the capital after others broke windows.”
Throughout the hearing, Wray faced criticism for seemingly playing both sides, claiming unawareness about the presence of federal agents, doubting there were any undercover agents, and yet implying legal restrictions prevented him from fully discussing the topic.
