The probe finds no evidence that the FBI incited violence in the Jan. 6 riot

An independent investigation into the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol found no evidence that federal agents were involved in inciting the violence, rejecting baseless claims that the FBI played a major role in the attack.

According to one report released Thursday by Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz, no undercover FBI employees were involved in the riots or instigated any protesters to storm the Capitol.

“We found no evidence in the materials we reviewed or in the testimony received to show or suggest that the FBI had undercover employees at the various protest crowds or at the Capitol on January 6,” the report explains.

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Meanwhile, the report found that there were 26 FBI informants in Washington, DC on the day of the attack, but none were cleared to participate.

“Our review determined that none of these FBI CHSs were authorized by the FBI to enter the Capitol or a restricted area or otherwise violate the law on January 6th, nor were any CHSs directed by the FBI to encourage others to commit illegal acts in January. 6″, the report states.

The investigation found that many of those 26 informants provided the FBI with information before the riot that was no “more accurate than” what the bureau had already been provided by other sources.

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However, the investigation found that there was a “basic step that was missed” by the FBI before January 6 that could have helped prevent the protest from going down.

“The FBI could have gone the extra step of scouring its field offices prior to January 6 to identify any information, including CHS (confidential human sources) reporting, that could have helped the FBI and law enforcement partners to January 6,” the report said.

Horowitz’s report concludes by recommending that the FBI reevaluate the policies and procedures the bureau has in place to prepare for events that have the potential to cause security problems. The FBI agreed with the inspector general’s recommendation.