A Trump supporter named Ray Epps has admitted to taking part in the assault on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, and is now facing criminal charges. Claims that Epps was a government agent operating on behalf of the FBI have been dismissed by the House Select Committee examination into the incident.
Many people feel that it seems odd that it has taken a public outcry before Epps was taken into custody, given that the Department of Justice has targeted thousands of people; this has fueled conspiracy theories that Ray Epps was an insider who was tasked to exacerbate the violence to make a case against Trump.
In July, Epps took Fox News to court, claiming that former anchor Tucker Carlson’s remarks constituted slander. Fox has asked the suit to be dismissed.
Before and during the violence, Epps was shown in many films encouraging people to enter the Capitol “peacefully.” Aside from trespassing, prosecutors now claim Epps was involved in violence against police, regardless of whether he physically touched any officers or not. He led the group of protesters that broke through the initial Capitol grounds barriers, drove police officers closer to the building, and obstructed their chain of command with a massive “Trump” sign. Following this, Epps boasted to his nephew that he had “orchestrated” the gathering by urging attendees to visit the Capitol.
According to the court record, Epps contacted the FBI two days after the riot to confirm his identity as one of the individuals listed on an FBI website as a “person of interest” concerning the assault on the Capitol. After admitting he was “guilty of trespassing” on Capitol grounds, he attempted to assuage the fears of his fellow protesters. His proposed prison term of one year is based on mitigating circumstances, but he faces one count of disruptive or disorderly behavior in a restricted facility or grounds.
Marjorie Taylor Green and Matt Gaetz, two Republicans who support Trump, have publicly spoken about the false flag conspiracy that the FBI had operatives in the field that day to stoke violence.
