“While the FBI’s standard practice is not to discuss its sources and methods, it is important to understand that sources provide valuable information regarding criminal activity and national security matters,” an FBI spokesperson said.
According to obtained confidential records, the FBI had an informant inside the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot. The New York Times reported that the documents did not reveal the informant's name, though it acknowledged he was affiliated with a Midwest chapter of the controversial group Proud Boys.
The informant described meeting up with men from other Proud Boys chapters at 10 am at the Washington Monument before entering the Capitol. The informant debated whether to join. But after police told him someone had been shot—likely slain Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt—he left through a window.
Though the informant denied the Proud Boys intended to use violence on Jan. 6, he said a herd mentality consumed the group. He also rejected the notion the group planned to attack the Capitol, The Times reported.
In a statement to The Hill, an FBI spokesperson said the agency's "mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States, and intelligence gathering is essential to those efforts."
"While the FBI's standard practice is not to discuss its sources and methods, it is important to understand that sources provide valuable information regarding criminal activity and national security matters," the statement read.
According to the Justice Department, over 600 suspests were arrested over the storming. More than 50 defendants have pled guilty. The Times noted 15 members of the Proud Boys had been charged with conspiracy in four separate cases.
Reuters reported the FBI found little evidence to suggest the attack was coordinated. Officials told Reuters there appeared to be no coordinated plans for once they broke into the building.
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