The FBI has reportedly found little evidence that the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, was part of an organized plot to overturn the results of the election.
Reuters reported Friday morning that multiple law enforcement officials have told them that despite hundreds of arrests made by the FBI, “the FBI at this point believes the violence was not centrally coordinated by far-right groups or prominent supporters of then-President Donald Trump, according to the sources, who have been either directly involved in or briefed regularly on the wide-ranging investigations.”
“FBI investigators did find that cells of protesters, including followers of the far-right Oath Keepers and Proud Boys groups, had aimed to break into the Capitol,” the report added. “But they found no evidence that the groups had serious plans about what to do if they made it inside, the sources said.”
A former senior law enforcement official told Reuters that 90-95% of the cases that the DOJ is prosecuting are “one-off cases.” “Then you have five percent, maybe, of these militia groups that were more closely organized,” the former official said. “But there was no grand scheme with Roger Stone and Alex Jones and all of these people to storm the Capitol and take hostages.”
The FBI has reportedly not found any evidence that former President Donald Trump or anyone in his direct orbit were involved in planning the riot.
“More than 170 people have been charged so far with assaulting or impeding a police officer, according to the Justice Department,” the report added. “But one source said there has been little, if any, recent discussion by senior Justice Department officials of filing charges such as ‘seditious conspiracy’ to accuse defendants of trying to overthrow the government. They have also opted not to bring racketeering charges, often used against organized criminal gangs.”
Democrats used the events of that day to launch a second impeachment inquiry into Trump, which he was ultimately acquitted of by the U.S. Senate.