The official line that hundreds of plainclothes FBI agents were sent to the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, for “crowd control” is “BS,” according to a veteran reporter who has scrutinized the events of that day.
The Blaze’s Steve Baker is one of the preeminent investigative reporters on the events of January 6. Baker and his colleague, reporter Joe Hanneman, have combed through footage, testimonies, court documents, and other evidence related to that day, reporting their findings at The Blaze.
The official story given by FBI Director Kash Patel about the role 274 plainclothes FBI agents played on January 6 is false, Baker told Morning Wire in an <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/embedded-the-fbi-agents-inside-january-6th/id1576594336?i=1000730197630">interview</a> that aired on Sunday. The 274 plainclothes officers were only acknowledged last month to have been in the crowd on January 6, nearly five years after the Capitol riot.
“The one thing that I can tell you that we have done more of than anybody else on the planet, Joe and I have had more access to Capitol CCTV, the actual viewing room there, that the congressional committee allows access to than any other journalist,” Baker said. “Our first reaction when we saw this tweet from Patel saying that they were out there doing crowd control, Joe and I, we erupted in our private DMs.”
“We were like, ‘This is BS. This is not true.’ Because if we had seen them at any one point during that day, we would have made note of it, certainly mentally, but it would have been part of our documenting of what we saw and doing thousands of hours of video review. It just never happened,” he said.
Last month, Patel addressed reports that hundreds of plainclothes FBI agents were ordered into the crowd around the U.S. Capitol that day. The FBI director said that the plainclothes agents were given orders against bureau standards and forced into an unreasonably difficult situation because of “corrupt leadership.”
Patel wrote in a <a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1972096661007880321">post</a> on X: “274 FBI agents were thrown into crowd control on Jan 6 against FBI standards. That failure was on corrupt leadership. Thanks to agents stepping up, the truth is coming out.”
That post drew backlash from Baker, who <a href="https://x.com/SteveBakerUSA/status/1972120206463193356">responded</a>: “This is 1000% bulls***. No one has had more time in the Capitol CCTV viewing room than me and my partner, [Hanneman]. We’ve never seen a single frame of video showing plainclothes FBI assisting uniformed LEOs in either ‘crowd control’ or protecting the Capitol,” Baker wrote.
Notably, Baker distinguished plainclothes FBI agents from undercover agents. Plainclothes agents are not meant to blend in totally. They should still be easily identifiable as FBI agents, either by their badge, a hat, a jacket, a bulletproof vest, or some other clear marking or piece of clothing.
If the 274 agents were sent to do crowd control, they should have been easy enough to pick out from Capitol security footage or from any of the numerous videos taken by bystanders that day. Baker was at the Capitol on January 6 – he pleaded guilty in November to four misdemeanor counts related to the day’s events before being pardoned by President Donald Trump – and never saw a plainclothes FBI agent assisting with crowd control.

Trump supporters storm Capitol building in Washington

J6 Reporter Calls ‘BS,’ Says Plainclothes FBI Agents Never Performed ‘Crowd Control’ At Capitol

January 6

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) was apparently baffled by the fact that Washington, D.C., Police Union boss Gregg Pemberton was less concerned with the January 6th pardons than the 1,537 police officers who’ve been assaulted since that day without justice being served on their behalf.
Pemberton and Durbin went back and forth several times on Tuesday, and the Illinois senator struggled to wrap his brain around the fact that Pemberton was unbothered by President Donald Trump’s blanket pardons for January 6 rioters.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: DC Police Union Boss Gregg Pemberton expresses &#8220;FRUSTRATION&#8221; as Dem Senator Dick Durbin *SOLELY* focuses on J6 officer assaults🚨
PEMBERTON: &#8220;More than 1,500 officers have been assaulted by people since that day — and nothing has happened to those suspects!&#8221;
&#8220;My… <a href="https://t.co/x7mtWS5vzW">pic.twitter.com/x7mtWS5vzW</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1973038000222134646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Durbin asked about the pardons right away, demanding to know how Pemberton had felt upon learning that Trump had pardoned those who’d been arrested and convicted for taking part in the January 6th riot on Capitol Hill.
Pemberton conceded that it was frustrating, but then said it was more frustrating to him that in the months since January 6, 2021, some 1,537 police officers had been assaulted — and after the suspects were arrested, the cases were “no-papered” by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, meaning that they could not proceed.
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Durbin once again asked about the pardons, and Pemberton pointed out the fact that those cases had already been adjudicated and that the defendants in question had already been charged and convicted — and some had served jail time — before those pardons were issued. The cases he was talking about never even made it before a judge — and the assaulted officers could never see justice — because the U.S. Attorney’s Office had stopped them cold.
Durbin raised the question of the pardons yet again, but Pemberton continued to push back.
“More than 1,500 officers have been assaulted by people since that day — and nothing has happened to those suspects!&#8221; he said.
&#8220;My frustration, Senator, is that no one seems to care about police officers who were assaulted after that day or before that day,” Pemberton continued. “It seems like people only care about police officers who were assaulted on that day in the calendar!”

Senate Judiciary Holds Hearing On Domestic Terrorism

Dick Durbin Baffled As Police Union Boss Cares More About 1,500 Assaulted Officers Than January 6 Pardons

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Multiple people are dead and many more injured after a man opened fire at a Michigan church, President Donald Trump orders troops to Portland, and the FBI admits there were agents in the crowd on J6.
It’s Monday, September 29, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Church Attacked In Michigan</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-977957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Michigan-Church-Attacked-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Michigan-Church-Attacked-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Michigan-Church-Attacked-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Michigan-Church-Attacked-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Michigan-Church-Attacked-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Michigan-Church-Attacked.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: Tragedy rocked a small town in Michigan after a man targeted a Mormon church on Sunday, opening fire on the congregants and leaving the building ablaze.
The horrific attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc left the church completely engulfed in flames. Grand Blanc is a small community of about 8,000 people and a suburb of Flint, about 50 miles from Detroit.
The shooting occurred around 10:30 a.m. ET, while the church was in service. Hundreds of people were worshiping when the gunman rammed his truck into the building. He then opened fire on congregants, shooting at least 10 people. At some point, the church was set on fire; officials believe the fire was intentionally set by the suspect, perhaps using an accelerant such as gasoline.
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According to police, the gunman was killed in a shootout with authorities. At least four people have been confirmed killed, not including the gunman, and multiple others were wounded. Officials have stated that they fear the casualty count will rise due to the fire.
The gunman: The shooter was a 40-year-old man from Burton, Michigan, just a few miles from the church, according to police.
A pickup truck was used to ram through the church. Reports say that the vehicle had two large American flags in the cab. Other reports have said the suspect is an Iraq War veteran.
Authorities said they have targeted the gunman’s home with search warrants and are going through cell phone records to find out more about the motive.
Step back: This comes a month after the deadly shooting that targeted the Annunciation Catholic School in Minnesota.
Washington reacts: President Donald Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115283020712432544">issued</a> a statement saying that this “appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.” He asked that Americans “PRAY for the victims, and their families,” and added, quote, “THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!”
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel also responded quickly, confirming that federal agents were on the scene to assist local authorities. Patel <a href="https://michiganadvance.com/2025/09/28/fatal-shooting-and-fire-at-michigan-mormon-church-police-say/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">added</a> that “violence in a place of worship is a cowardly and criminal act.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Deploys Troops To Portland</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-977959" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Crime-Crackdown-Expands-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Crime-Crackdown-Expands-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Crime-Crackdown-Expands-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Crime-Crackdown-Expands-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Crime-Crackdown-Expands-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Crime-Crackdown-Expands.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: President Trump continues to take his crime crackdown nationwide, announcing plans to deploy troops to Portland to protect ICE facilities. 
President Trump is clearly feeling emboldened to expand his efforts after the successful operation in DC. Now, he is looking for similar results in Portland, Oregon, a city ravaged by crime and violent political riots over the last five years.
Writing on Truth Social on Saturday, the president announced: “At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland … I am authorizing Full Force, if necessary.” 
Why Portland? Trump says the city is the epicenter of activity for &#8220;Antifa,&#8221; the far-left political movement that has been linked to riots and violent demonstrations for years now.
Militants have repeatedly laid siege to ICE processing facilities in the city, attacking agents with rocks, fireworks, and smoke grenades, blocking entrances, setting fires, and even doxxing federal agents, posting their home addresses on message boards and flyers around the city, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In response to that violence in Portland and elsewhere, last week, Trump issued an executive order saying, &#8220;I hereby designate Antifa as a &#8216;domestic terrorist organization.&#8217;” calling it a “militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government” while using a “campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide to accomplish these goals.” 
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller <a href="https://x.com/Huberton/status/1971953265408725073">said</a> earlier this month: “The Antifa riots, the attacks on ICE officers, the doxxing campaigns, and now the political assassinations. These are not lone, isolated events. This is part of an organized campaign of radical left terrorism. It is structured and sophisticated, well-funded, it is well planned … It is terrorism on our soil.”
Portland pushes back: Flyers were reportedly posted around the city, calling on members to “Squad up. Make travel plans. Bring PPE and your unhinged Portland energy.”
Democratic lawmakers in the city have doubled down on their opposition to Trump — the city’s official website has a permanent banner at the very top that reads “Portland is a sanctuary city.” The site links to an anti-ICE hotline and reassures residents that local law enforcement will not cooperate with federal immigration agents. Over the weekend, Democratic lawmakers from across the city decried Trump’s efforts as authoritarian, saying they had things under control.
Oregon Democratic Governor Tina Kotek <a href="https://x.com/KatieDaviscourt/status/1972054518994190732">said</a> on Saturday: “Portland and the state of Oregon believe in the rule of law, and we can manage our own local public safety needs. There is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security, and there is no need for military troops in our major city. They are not needed here.”
On Sunday, Oregon and Portland filed a joint lawsuit against the Trump administration in an effort to block the deployment of the state’s National Guard. Their suit claimed in part, “Far from promoting public safety, Defendants’ provocative and arbitrary actions threaten to undermine public safety by inciting a public outcry.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">January 6th Revelations</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-977961" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Agents-In-The-Crowd-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Agents-In-The-Crowd-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Agents-In-The-Crowd-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Agents-In-The-Crowd-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Agents-In-The-Crowd-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Agents-In-The-Crowd.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The FBI placed hundreds of plainclothes agents in the crowd around the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The years-long refusal by the FBI to acknowledge those 274 agents until now has raised many questions about past bureau leadership.
Trump weighs in: President Trump aired some frustration on his <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115277207989888806">Truth Social</a> account on Saturday. He wrote, “This is different from what [former FBI Director Christopher Wray] stated, over and over again!” Trump lumped in Wray with former FBI Director James Comey as two officials who “got caught lying.” The president later told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-weighs-whether-doj-investigate-former-fbi-director-christopher-w-rcna234225">NBC News</a> that he “would certainly imagine” that Wray is being investigated by the Justice Department.
The new sheriff: FBI Director Kash Patel <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbis-patel-clarifies-role-hundreds-agents-jan-6-says-wray-lied-congress">clarified</a> that the plainclothes agents were sent in “against FBI standards” after the riot had started for crowd control, and that “[t]his was the failure of a corrupt leadership that lied to Congress and to the American people about what really happened.”
The hot seat: Wray is facing numerous questions, even from rank-and-file FBI agents who were present at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. An after-action report <a href="https://justthenews.com/accountability/fbi-bombshell-274-agents-sent-capitol-j6-many-later-complained-they-were-political">revealed</a> to Congress last week lists a host of issues that agents have had with FBI leadership. Several agents have expressed concerns that politics had deeply influenced the bureau’s mission over the course of Comey and Wray’s tenures.
Another indictment?: Republican Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona said Wray “will be held accountable” and pointed to an <a href="https://x.com/RepAndyBiggsAZ/status/1679164288546529281">exchange</a> he had with Wray in 2023:
<blockquote>BIGGS: I thought I heard you say you didn&#8217;t know whether there were FBI agents or informants or human sources in the Capitol or in the vicinity on January 6th. Did I misunderstand you? I thought that&#8217;s what you said. 
WRAY: I referred very specifically to undercover agents.
BIGGS: And so are you acknowledging, then, there were undercover agents?
WRAY: As I sit here right now, I do not believe there were undercover agents on scene.</blockquote>
Worth noting: If it comes to an indictment, some have disputed that “plainclothes” is synonymous with “undercover.” Additionally, Wray made it clear that he believed his statements to be true, but stopped short of explicitly stating they were true. This ambiguity underscores that, regardless of the frustration over the FBI, perjury cases are challenging to win convictions in.

MRN 9.29.25 Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: Tragedy In Michigan, Crackdown In Portland, & FBI’s J6 Role

Andy Biggs

Christopher Wray

Donald Trump

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

James Comey

Michigan

Morning Wire

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A newly publicized FBI after-action report reveals that the agency deployed hundreds of agents to the Capitol during the January 6 riot, many of whom later complained of being unsure about what they were supposed to be doing there. 
The <a href="https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2025-09/FBI-HJC119-J6IG-000001-000050.pdf">report</a> reveals that 274 FBI agents from the agency&#8217;s Washington Field Office were present in and around the Capitol on January 6, 2021. This included “agents who responded to the Capitol grounds as well as inside the Capitol, the pipe bombs, and the red truck that was believed to contain explosive devices,” according to the report obtained by Just the News. 
The report, recently sent to the House Judiciary Committee by FBI Director Kash Patel, indicates that several agents believed they were ill-equipped and unprepared to respond to the situation.
“The initial response of having us again respond to a riot by ‘standing the line’ did not seem appropriate because we do not have the gear, equipment, or training for riot control,” one agent wrote. 
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“As in June, agents were again deployed onto the streets (specifically around the Capitol) and simply told to stand behind MPD. No other direction. When asked specifically what they were supposed to do or who to check in with, they were told simply that management said to go there and there was no answer,” a different agent said. “FBI agents do not have training for, nor equipment for, riot control.”
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), the chair of a House Judiciary subcommittee investigating January 6, <a href="https://justthenews.com/accountability/fbi-bombshell-274-agents-sent-capitol-j6-many-later-complained-they-were-political?utm_source=breaking&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter">told</a> Just the News that the number of FBI agents present at the Capitol raised more questions.
&#8220;Why is Congress just finding out there were significantly more FBI assets at the Capitol than previously identified? Were the courts that heard cases regarding January 6 made aware these agents were at the Capitol? Were any of the agents tasked to investigate individuals at the Capitol? Were they ever called to testify during the prosecutions of J6 defendants? Did any of the former FBI leaders testify about the additional personnel at the Capitol?” he asked. 
GOP lawmakers have repeatedly pressed the FBI over what it knew — and how it responded — on January 6. A previous Inspector General’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ig-says-fbi-had-dozens-of-informants-in-d-c-on-jan-6-including-in-capitol">report</a> revealed that the FBI also had at least 26 informants in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, including some who committed offenses.
The report also contained complaints from agents who said that January 6 cases were politically motivated. One agent said that questions were being asked in “my community” about the “different responses” to the 2020 riots versus January 6. 
“We were once an apolitical organization, but I no longer see us as looking from the ground up. We have been used as pawns in a political war, and FBI leadership fell into the trap and has allowed it to happen. We are supposed to call balls and strikes, regardless of political pressure, now we can’t even be trusted to be on the field,” the agent wrote. 
Another agent shared a similar sentiment. 
“The actions on January 6, 2021 were absolutely despicable and unacceptable in a civilized society. What is even more unacceptable was the hypocrisy displayed by the FBI and its leadership in their attempt to go after those involved in the Capitol Riots, while we as agents, watched cities burn across America during the summer of 2020,” the agent wrote.

US-POLITICS-ELECTION-TRUMP

Report Exposes Massive FBI Presence At Capitol On January 6

Capitol Riot

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House Judiciary Committee

kash patel

Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, the only protester killed during the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach when she was shot by a Capitol police officer, will receive full military funeral honors from the Air Force.
“On behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force, I write to extend the offer for Military Funeral Honors for SrA Ashli Babbitt,” Undersecretary of the Air Force Matthew Lohmeier <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/28/us-news/jan-6-rioter-ashli-babbitt-gets-air-force-military-funeral-honors/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_source=twitter">wrote</a> to Babbitt’s family. “After reviewing the circumstances of Ashli’s death, and considering the information that has come forward since then, I am persuaded that the previous determination was incorrect.”
Babbitt “served on active duty as a security forces senior airman from 2004 to 2008, then served in both the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, deploying to Afghanistan in 2005, Iraq in 2006, and the United Arab Emirates in 2012 and 2014,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/08/28/ashli-babbitt-military-honors-funeral/">The Washington Post reported,</a> adding, “Any service member who was on active duty at the time of their death is eligible, as is any former service member who was honorably discharged.”
Babbitt was 35 when she entered the Capitol building and gained access to a hallway outside “Speaker’s Lobby,” which leads to the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/department-justice-closes-investigation-death-ashli-babbitt?utm_source=chatgpt.com">noted,</a> adding, “At the time, the USCP (United States Capitol Police) was evacuating Members from the Chamber, which the mob was trying to enter from multiple doorways.” Babbitt was unarmed at the time.
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The USCP officers used furniture to barricade a set of glass doors separating the hallway and Speaker’s Lobby; three officers positioned themselves between the doors. Protesters broke the glass doors, allowing Babbitt to attempt to climb through one of the doors. An officer inside the Speaker’s Lobby fired one round from his service pistol, which hit Babbitt in the left shoulder. She was taken to Washington Hospital Center, where she later died.
The DOJ decided there was insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution of the police officer, stating, “Prosecutors would have to prove not only that the officer used force that was constitutionally unreasonable, but that the officer did so ‘willfully, which the Supreme Court has interpreted to mean that the officer acted with a bad purpose to disregard the law. &#8230; the investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot at Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber.”
In January 2024, Babbitt’s family members <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/doj-reaches-agreement-principle-settle-lawsuit-brought-family/story?id=121409667">sued</a> the federal government, seeking $30 million, claiming she had been wrongfully killed.
“The lawsuit filed by Babbitt’s family alleged that Babbitt did not go to Washington’ for any unlawful or nefarious purpose,’ had her hands in the air when she was shot and ‘posed no threat to the safety of anyone,’” the Post noted.
In May 2025, the Department of Justice reached a settlement with Ashli Babbitt’s family, <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/05/19/us-news/family-of-jan-6-rioter-ashli-babbitt-gets-5m-settlement-from-trump-admin-reports/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">agreeing</a> later that month to pay them just under $5 million.

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Ashli Babbitt Remembered: Air Force To Give Full Military Funeral Honors To Jan. 6 Victim

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Former Acting Director Brian Driscoll is one of three FBI officials being let go as of Friday. No official reasons have been given for the firings, though a number of sources have tied them to the roles those officials played during the January 6th investigations.
MSNBC&#8217;s Ken Dilanian cited an anonymous &#8220;source directly familiar&#8221; and claimed that Driscoll&#8217;s ouster was directly related to his <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/2/brian-driscoll-acting-fbi-director-thin-ice-refusi/">refusal to carry out an order</a> from then Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who instructed him to compile a list of all agents — current and former — who had ever been assigned to cases related to January 6th.
&#8220;Brian Driscoll, the former acting FBI director who refused to carry out Trump administration plans for mass firing of J6 agents, is being forced out of the bureau, according to a source directly familiar,&#8221; he posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Brian Driscoll, the former acting FBI director who refused to carry out Trump administration plans for mass firing of J6 agents, is being forced out of the bureau, according to a source directly familiar.
— Ken Dilanian (@DilanianMSNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/DilanianMSNBC/status/1953438558968037404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Several hours later, Dilanian added an update including a statement from &#8220;Drizz&#8221; (Driscoll).
&#8220;Drizz sent a message to colleagues: &#8216;Last night I was informed that tomorrow will be my last day in the FBI. I understand that you may have a lot of questions regarding why, for which I currently have no answers. No cause has been articulated at this time. Please know that it has been the honor of my life to serve alongside each of you. Thank you for allowing me to stand on your shoulders throughout it all. Our collective sacrifices for those we serve is, and will always be, worth it. I regret nothing. You are my heroes, and I remain in your debt.'&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Drizz sent a message to colleagues:
“Last night I was informed that tomorrow will be my last day in the FBI. I understand that you may have a lot of questions regarding why, for which I currently have no answers. No cause has been articulated at this time. 
Please know that it… <a href="https://t.co/84tjMOADLy">https://t.co/84tjMOADLy</a>
— Ken Dilanian (@DilanianMSNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/DilanianMSNBC/status/1953481784265470012?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The other two officials who were let go were Walter Giardina — who played a role in the investigation of former Trump trade official Peter Navarro — and Steve Jensen, who served as Acting Director of the Washington Field Office and was directly involved in the January 6th investigations.
Critics from legacy media — and many on social media — are accusing the FBI of conducting a &#8220;purge,&#8221; while others are pointing out the fact that the FBI Director can make personnel decisions as he sees fit — and if Driscoll did, in fact, ignore a lawful order, that could have played into the decision.

Trump Fires Former Acting FBI Director Who Stonewalled Admin Over J6

Acting FBI Director Stonewalled The Trump Admin, And Now He's Out

Recently released memos from former Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217;s 2024 presidential campaign reveal the Democrat&#8217;s public relations struggles in the waning days of her failed White House bid.
The memos — first reported by Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf in the forthcoming book &#8220;2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Left Lost America&#8221; — were written by Maria Comella, a PR consultant who also <a href="https://www.comella.co/contact" target="_blank" rel="noopener">served as</a> chief strategist for Chris Christie&#8217;s 2024 presidential campaign.
In multiple instances, Comella <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000197-e956-d05a-afb7-ed5645b00000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> Harris to &#8220;Call out the Democratic Party for missing the mark on public safety in US cities.&#8221; The memo notes that Harris should demonstrate her willingness to criticize Democrats on top of &#8220;Trump&#8217;s chaos.&#8221;
The memo also urges Harris to appear on Joe Rogan&#8217;s podcast, noting that the host &#8220;will be looking for authenticity and it&#8217;s an opportunity to differentiate in style. Be honest about mistakes. There is a natural leadership contrast with Trump who can never admit when he is wrong.&#8221;
President Donald Trump joined Rogan&#8217;s show in late October, after which Rogan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-rogan-endorses-trump-for-president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed.</a> In response, Harris&#8217;s campaign <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-rogan-says-harris-campaign-lied-about-her-failed-appearance-on-his-show-brings-receipts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complained</a> that Rogan misled them in a malicious attempt to sabotage her presidential run.
Rogan retorted that the Harris campaign &#8220;never agreed to do the show. None of that&#8217;s true … They also said that they sent someone down here to the studio to do a walk-through of the set. That&#8217;s not true.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000197-e958-da98-a3b7-f95a2eec0000">memo</a> lists former The View cohost Meredith Vieira and sports podcaster Bill Simmons as alternatives to Rogan. Harris never joined Rogan, Vieira, or Simmons, but did make an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-blasted-for-going-on-explicit-call-her-daddy-podcast-as-americans-are-dying" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appearance</a> on the explicit podcast &#8220;Call Her Daddy.&#8221;
In accompanying memos published in the same book, Harris was urged to distance herself from then-President Joe Biden, who had only recently dropped out of the race.
Referring to the Biden administration&#8217;s disastrous border policies, the <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000197-e958-de82-a7d7-ff5cedae0000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memo</a> told Harris not to &#8220;waste time defending what has happened. Acknowledge the mistake, define the problem and how we have to act moving forward.&#8221;
&#8220;It turns out it is okay to acknowledge mistakes and failures– particularly if it shows voters where the Vice President is different from President Biden,&#8221; the memo reads.
Harris infamously refused to critique Biden&#8217;s handling of the border in a &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; interview, during which she was asked <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-repeatedly-refuses-to-say-it-was-a-mistake-to-allow-illegal-aliens-to-flood-into-u-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repeatedly</a> about the issue. Instead, she blamed the massive influx of illegal aliens on Congress.
The memos also mention issues with vocal Trump opponents, including former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY).
&#8220;In many instances, the voices who are willing to speak out publicly in support of Vice President Harris are imperfect messengers who are viewed with a skeptical eye by the audiences you still need to persuade,&#8221; the memo reads.
The book in which these memos were published also <a href="https://www.politico.com/playbook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">details</a> how Harris was urged to steer away from using the events of Jan. 6th as the crux of her argument in a late October <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kamala-harris-speech-ellipse-donald-trump-2024-election/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speech</a> in Washington, D.C.
Instead, Harris concluded her speech  by saying Trump &#8220;is the person who stood at this very spot nearly four years ago and sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol to overturn the will of the people in a free and fair election, an election that he knew he lost.&#8221;

VP Kamala Harris

Newly-Released Memos Reveal All The Good PR Advice Kamala Ignored During Her Campaign

2024 Elections

Border Crisis

Kamala Harris

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on Thursday gave updates into the case of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-tied-january-6-pipe-bomber-to-metro-card-of-ex-gov-official-but-blocked-interview-of-him-former-agent-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">planted pipe bombs on January 6, 2021</a>, and the death of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Regarding the J6 case, where pipe bombs were planted at the Democrat National Committee and the Republican National Committee, Bongino said on &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends&#8221; that the feds are closing in on numerous suspects.
&#8220;The second we got in, I said, &#8216;I want answers on this,&#8217; and I&#8217;m pretty confident that we&#8217;re closing in on some suspects,&#8221; the deputy director said.
Bongino noted that the Biden administration curiously showed a lack of interest in the pipe bomb case while the feds prosecuted more than 1,000 people who protested on January 6. &#8220;No one seemed to show any interest in this case,&#8221; he criticized.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday&amp;_gl=1*1qdq03s*_gcl_au*MTYyNDg0MTE0OS4xNzQxODk4NTMz*_ga*MTEzOTk1NjkxNi4xNzI2MzI1MDQz*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*czE3NDgzNzg2NDgkbzEwMDMkZzEkdDE3NDgzODEwMTckajU4JGwwJGgw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
On the Epstein case, Bongino highlighted the American public&#8217;s lack of trust in the FBI and their general suspicion over the sex offender&#8217;s suicide. Addressing that issue, Bongino said the feds are working to clean up video evidence from the jail to show that Epstein was alone at the time he killed himself.
&#8220;There&#8217;s video &#8230; and we will release it,&#8221; Bongino said, noting that the video is not of the actual suicide. &#8220;That&#8217;s what&#8217;s taken a while on this &#8212; we&#8217;re working on cleaning it up to make sure you have an enhanced version. And we&#8217;re gonna give you the original, so you don&#8217;t think there are any shenanigans. You&#8217;re gonna see, there&#8217;s no one there but him. There&#8217;s just nobody there.&#8221;
&#8220;If you have a tip, let us know,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;But there&#8217;s no DNA, there&#8217;s no audio, there&#8217;s no fingerprints, no suspects, no accomplices, there&#8217;s no tips, there&#8217;s nothing. If you have it, I&#8217;m happy to see it.&#8221;
&#8220;There&#8217;s video, clear as day, he&#8217;s the only person in there, and the only person coming out,&#8221; Bongino added. &#8220;You can see it.&#8221;
Epstein was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/17/nyregion/epstein-suicide-death.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found dead</a> with bed sheets wrapped around his neck at 6:30 a.m. on August 10, 2019, around a month after he was arrested.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-tied-january-6-pipe-bomber-to-metro-card-of-ex-gov-official-but-blocked-interview-of-him-former-agent-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI Tied January 6 Pipe Bomber To Metro Card Of Ex-Gov Official, But Blocked Interview Of Him, Former Agent Says</a>

Dan Bongino

Bongino Gives Update On FBI’s Investigations Of Jeffrey Epstein And J6 Pipe Bombs

Crime

Jeffrey Epstein

CNN Republican commentator Scott Jennings defended President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration for moving forward with charges against one of the House Democrats involved in a physical scuffle with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents outside a New Jersey detention facility — but CNN host Abby Phillip tried her level best to make the conversation about President Donald Trump instead.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-charge-new-jersey-democrat-over-clash-with-agents-at-ice-facility" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver</a> (D-NJ) stemmed from a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newark-mayor-arrested-after-dem-reps-storm-new-jersey-ice-facility-charge-past-security-officers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dust-up</a> outside Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, where she was allegedly caught on body-cam video getting physical with federal agents during a protest that also involved two other House Democrats — New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson-Coleman and Rob Menendez — and Democratic Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. Jennings argued during a Monday panel discussion that Trump&#8217;s Justice Department was well within its rights to level charges against McIver for her actions — but Phillip jumped in to run interference.
WATCH:
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Feds well within rights to charge Rep. McIver for assaulting law enforcement at ICE facility in Newark.
The video doesn’t lie &#8211; it ain’t no cheap fake! Amazing how much energy Dems put into illegal aliens. Week after week. They’d never fight that hard for the American people. <a href="https://t.co/yjP0GiJSdr">pic.twitter.com/yjP0GiJSdr</a>
&mdash; Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJenningsKY/status/1924675029792354769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Mayor Baraka began the discussion by claiming that he believed the videos would ultimately clear McIver of any wrongdoing, but Jennings was not buying it.
&#8220;I mean, the videos are pretty clear, are they not?&#8221; Jennings asked. &#8220;I mean, she&#8217;s shoving — elbows — pushing, I mean, this is violent activity against law enforcement, is it not?&#8221;
Barak attempted to downplay the scene, saying simply, &#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of pushing and shoving. I don&#8217;t know if —&#8221;
&#8220;Would a regular person, if they came and did that to a federal officer, get away with it?&#8221; Jennings pressed.
&#8220;A regular person —?&#8221; Baraka asked.
&#8220;Just a regular person, a non-politician,&#8221; Jennings clarified.
&#8220;They might get pardoned,&#8221; Phillip interjected, clearly referencing the people Trump pardoned for their involvement in the riots on January 6th, 2021.
&#8220;If they showed up at a federal facility —&#8221; Jennings continued.
&#8220;They might get pardoned,&#8221; Phillip repeated. &#8220;By this president.&#8221;
&#8220;But were they charged?&#8221; Jennings pressed. &#8220;Were they charged? Were they convicted in court? Would a regular person get away with it?&#8221;
Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky then tried to convince Jennings that the video of McIver was not clear, and that he&#8217;d be able to see that if he took off his &#8220;MAGA goggle glasses.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s not a &#8216;cheap fake,&#8217; I can tell you that,&#8221; Jennings said of the body cam footage.

US-POLITICS-IMMIGRATION-ICE

Scott Jennings Defends Trump For Charging New Jersey Dem. CNN Host Has Wild Response.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

New Jersey

Scott Jennings

The Department of Justice is reportedly set to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of Ashli Babbitt, who was killed on January 6, 2021, in the U.S. Capitol, for $5 million.
Babbitt’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government last year, seeking $30 million. The Justice Department previously opposed the suit and planned to argue against it in a trial scheduled for July 2026.
Attorneys for the Justice Department and for Babbitt’s family said at a May 2 hearing that they had agreed to a settlement to end the case, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/05/19/ashli-babbitt-lawsuit-settlement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>. No deal was filed, and U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes ordered the parties to update the court about the agreement this coming Thursday, May 22.
The settlement is reportedly an agreement by the Trump administration to pay Babbitt’s family $5 million. Babbitt was fatally shot by a police officer on January 6 after entering the U.S. Capitol.
The Babbitt family is being represented in the case by Judicial Watch, whose president, Tom Fitton, declined to comment on the settlement in a post on X.
“[Judicial Watch] can&#8217;t yet comment on the Ashli Babbitt settlement amount that is being reported because the settlement still hasn&#8217;t been finalized. But I can say, contrary to initial WPOST report, [Judicial Watch] is not getting a third (or any portion) of any settlement. We are representing Ashil&#8217;s family pro bono!” Fitton posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/JudicialWatch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JudicialWatch</a> can&#39;t yet comment on the Ashli Babbitt settlement amount that is being reported because the settlement still hasn&#39;t been finalized. But I can say, contrary to initial WPOST report, <a href="https://twitter.com/JudicialWatch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JudicialWatch</a> is not getting a third (or any portion) of any settlement. We are… <a href="https://t.co/Cn35tbXd5H">https://t.co/Cn35tbXd5H</a>
&mdash; Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomFitton/status/1924552757270167958?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia conducted an investigation into Babbitt&#8217;s death, and released its findings in April 2021. Investigators concluded that the police officer who shot Babbitt did not violate federal laws “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“Specifically, the investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot at Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber,” the U.S. attorney’s office <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/department-justice-closes-investigation-death-ashli-babbitt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
President Donald Trump has taken a more sympathetic view of those involved in January 6. On his first day in office, Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/granting-pardons-and-commutation-of-sentences-for-certain-offenses-relating-to-the-events-at-or-near-the-united-states-capitol-on-january-6-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a sweeping clemency order for all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the Capitol riot. Most received full pardons while over a dozen others had their sentences commuted. Those who had not yet been tried had their cases dropped.

January 6th Solidarity Rally

Trump Admin Reportedly Reaches Settlement With Family Of Ashli Babbitt

Courts

Department of Justice

Judicial Watch

In movies like Enemy of the State, Americans are shown a dystopian world where government surveillance turns ordinary citizens into targets, with shadowy agencies tracking their every move without oversight or accountability. Sadly, this Hollywood nightmare is now reality.
During the Biden administration, federal agencies like the FBI were secretly monitoring law-abiding gun owners through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) — tracking their lawful firearm purchases without a warrant and without ever informing those being monitored. Even Congress was kept in the dark. What once seemed like fiction is now a troubling truth, as the federal government turns its surveillance powers inward against its own people, eroding the freedoms it was meant to protect.
For years, the FBI has been surveilling the gun purchases of thousands of law-abiding citizens using the NICS system. This daily NICS Monitoring program operates without the requirement of a warrant or probable cause, and entirely outside the purview of any court. It enables federal agents to select a target for surveillance and receive a notification every time the victim purchases a firearm. Surveilled Americans have no way of ever knowing they are being tracked.
None of this information is new. Gun Owners of America has reported on the FBI’s NICS Monitoring abuses <a href="https://www.ammoland.com/2024/12/foia-shows-the-extent-of-atf-monitoring-americans-through-fbis-nics-system/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at length</a>, and the FBI’s warrantless surveillance program has been the subject of a years-long Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) lawsuit pitting GOA against a <a href="https://www.gunowners.org/atf-attempts-to-silence-gun-owners-of-america/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">belligerent</a> and uncooperative Department of Justice.
<h3>Ongoing NICS Monitoring Abuses</h3>
Naturally, being free to operate entirely without legal standards or judicial oversight, federal agents have rampantly abused NICS Monitoring, surveilling individuals engaged in all manner of innocuous activities. Without any accountability, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) requested NICS Monitoring of individuals who purchased firearms in response to social unrest, those whose firearm expenditures appeared disproportionate to their income, and even persons who bought and sold firearms as a hobby.
During the Biden administration, federal agents even directed their surveillance toward ordinary Californians — like a modern-day Panopticon, where prison inmates can be secretly watched without knowing when. In a recent <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/political/fbi-weaponizes-background-checks-enforce-california-gun-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FOIA production</a>, GOA discovered that the FBI had been assisting in the enforcement of anti-gun states’ “assault weapons” bans. The FBI actually used NICS Monitoring on one individual for suspected violations of California’s unconstitutional gun regime — despite there being no evidence of any federal wrongdoing.
Thankfully, Pam Bondi’s DOJ recently <a href="https://x.com/GunOwners/status/1915855957927616648" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ordered the FBI</a> to end the Biden-era practice of using NICS monitoring to help enforce state gun laws. But who knows how long this practice has been occurring? Because with such a low bar for monitoring, perhaps you have also been NICS Monitored, maybe for nothing more than a Facebook comment or a bumper sticker, or attendance at a political rally. Of course, you would never know either way.
<h3>FBI Weaponization Against January 6 Protesters</h3>
Now, GOA has discovered that the FBI’s surveillance program goes further than previously thought. Recently obtained FOIA documents reveal the NICS Monitoring of a person suspected of being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In fact, in one June 6, 2023 NICS Monitoring submission, an unnamed FBI agent requested NICS Monitoring of an individual’s lawful gun purchases for a period of six months, for several “violations or potential violations” that are common J6 charges:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">18 U.S.C. § 231(a)(3) &#8211; Civil Disorder; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(1) and (2) &#8211; Restricted Building or Grounds; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(E) &#8211; Impeding Passage through the Capitol Grounds or Buildings.</li>
</ul>
Of course, this should come as no surprise. After all, the Biden-era FBI was no stranger to victimizing thousands of Trump supporters associated with January 6. On January 6 itself, the U.S. Capitol was crawling with <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/political/legal-scholar-raises-concerns-over-doj-hiding-fbi-informants-jan-6">FBI informants</a>, seemingly directed to frame those attending the President’s “Save America” rally.
In the days that followed, the FBI <a href="https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/540721-intercept-reporter-fbis-rapid-collection-of-phone-records-after-capitol-riot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aggressively collected</a> cell phone data of those who had been present in Washington, DC, often without a warrant. The FBI even improperly <a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-fbi-surveillance-75c466a64e838ab12eaef96f6335f3cd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accessed</a> information collected under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to target purely domestic persons and activities. And in the twilight hours of the Biden regime, the Department of Justice <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/fbi-searches-alleged-jan-6-rioters-home-ahead-donald-trumps-return-pre-rcna137787" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continued to raid</a> suspected January 6ers’ homes, with FBI operations extending well into December of 2024.
But now, the United States has a new Attorney General. And when Pam Bondi took her oath of office, she <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bondi-sworn-attorney-general-mission-end-weaponization-justice-department" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promised</a> to end the rampant “weaponization” of the FBI and to close Biden’s chapter of hyper-partisanship and two-tiered justice for good.
That promise will ring hollow if NICS Monitoring is not dismantled. So long as the mechanism remains in place to surveil gun owners’ lawful purchases — especially with no judicial approval or oversight — there is little stopping a future administration from resuming the abuses of Biden’s FBI.
What once seemed like the stuff of Hollywood thrillers has become a sobering fact of American life. The secret surveillance of lawful gun owners through NICS Monitoring is not just a bureaucratic overreach — it’s a direct assault on the freedoms that define our nation.
To restore trust in our institutions, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel must act swiftly to end warrantless spying on law-abiding gun owners. Americans should not have to live in fear that exercising their rights will land them on a secret government watchlist. We are not characters in a movie — we are citizens of a free republic, and it’s time our government remembered that.
* * *
Erich Pratt is the Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America, a national grassroots organization representing more than two million gun owners, and can be followed on X  <a href="https://twitter.com/erichmpratt">@erichmpratt.</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

U.S. Special Operations Command Host Hostage Rescue Demonstration In Tampa

Gun Owners Aren’t Criminals: It’s Time To Dismantle NICS Monitoring

Gun Laws

Gun Sales

Guns

Opinion

Second Amendment

U.S. Capitol

The Jasper County, Indiana, Sheriff&#8217;s Office released dashcam footage on Thursday showing last month&#8217;s traffic stop where a man pardoned by President Donald Trump was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/man-who-received-j6-pardon-shot-and-killed-during-traffic-stop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot and killed</a> during an altercation with a deputy.
Matthew Huttle of Hobart, Indiana — who benefited from Trump&#8217;s sweeping January 6 Capitol riot pardons — allegedly resisted arrest after being pulled over on January 26. Huttle, who was stopped on State Road 14 for driving 70 mph in a 55 mph zone, told the deputy, &#8220;I just want to let you know that I&#8217;m a January 6th defendant,&#8221; according to body cam footage, the Indianapolis Star <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2025/02/27/body-cam-footage-jan-6-defendants-traffic-stop-shooting-death-released-matthew-huttle-jasper-county/80731312007/#body-cam-matthew-huttle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;What do you mean?&#8221; the deputy asked.
&#8220;I stormed the Capitol. I&#8217;m waiting on my pardon,&#8221; Huttle replied, adding, &#8220;Yeah, and I can&#8217;t really afford to get into any trouble right now.&#8221;
He then admitted to driving without a license. Informed that his felony offense requires that the officer transport him to jail, Huttle said, &#8220;I can&#8217;t do it. No, I can&#8217;t go to jail for this, sir.&#8221;
The bodycam footage appears to have been taken down by YouTube. Dashcam <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-B64wlUUOs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">footage</a> of the incident is still on the platform and shows Huttle sprinting to the driver&#8217;s side door and reaching into the vehicle.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Public Release of Officer Involved Shooting from 1/26/2025" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v-B64wlUUOs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Clinton County, Indiana, Prosecutor’s Office reviewed the case and said that the deputy chased Huttle before a struggle ensued. After jumping into the car, Huttle allegedly raised a gun and said, &#8220;I&#8217;m shooting myself.&#8221; The prosecutor&#8217;s office <a href="https://www.in.gov/sheriffs/jasper/files/Jasper-County-OIS-Final-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concluded</a> that the officer &#8220;was legally justified in using deadly force to defend himself.&#8221;
&#8220;Believing that Huttle posed a deadly threat, the Deputy fired multiple shots, striking Huttle. The Deputy then retreated to his vehicle and awaited backup. Lifesaving measures were attempted, but Huttle was pronounced deceased at the scene,&#8221; the prosecutor&#8217;s office said.
During the traffic stop, Huttle &#8220;was found to be a Habitual Traffic Violator,&#8221; a felony under Indiana law, according to the prosecutor&#8217;s office. The 42-year-old Indiana man previously spent time behind bars for a driving offense.
Shortly after being released from jail for his previous offense, Huttle attended the rally at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. He later pled guilty to entering a restricted building after being inside the U.S. Capitol for 16 minutes. Huttle&#8217;s defense attorney, Andrew Hemmer, said that his client was “not a true believer in any political cause” but was only at the Trump rally that day “because he thought it would be a historic moment and he had nothing better to do after getting out of jail.”

Sheriff’s Dept Releases Footage Of Officer Fatally Shooting J6 Defendant

Indiana

Law Enforcement

Shooting

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