Washington: U.S. intelligence officials are actively investigating whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation played any role in the events surrounding the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, according to testimony delivered on Wednesday by Joseph Kent, chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
“We’re looking into it right now,” Kent stated during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing regarding his nomination to lead the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center. He did not specify which of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies is currently conducting the probe. Gabbard, who oversees the FBI’s intelligence functions, has not publicly commented beyond referencing the work of her newly established task force.
Kent’s remarks surfaced amid renewed scrutiny over the role of law enforcement agencies in the Capitol assault, in which supporters of then-President Donald Trump attempted to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
A December report by the U.S. Justice Department’s inspector general dismissed conspiracy theories alleging FBI involvement in organizing the attack. While it confirmed the presence of 26 FBI informants in Washington on that day, the report emphasized that none were authorized to enter the Capitol or commit acts of violence.
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly pressed Kent for details on a previous social media post implying FBI and intelligence agency involvement in the events of January 6. Kelly questioned what evidence justified such claims.
“We’ve already identified that there were multiple confidential human informants run by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies that were present in the crowd that day, directing, removing barriers, those types of things,” Kent said in response. “That has been investigated widely. We continue to look into that intelligence.”
Kent further suggested that “probably” the FBI’s Washington Field Office was involved and confirmed that the intelligence community is “looking into” its potential role. He also alleged that some elements within law enforcement attempted to “suppress the fact” that informants were embedded in the crowd.
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Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Gabbard emphasized that her newly launched intelligence oversight task force is “executing” Trump-era executive orders focused on rebuilding public trust in intelligence institutions. The group’s mandate includes investigating political bias, exposing unauthorized leaks, and promoting transparency through the declassification of intelligence that serves the public interest.
Kent, a former CIA officer and Green Beret who previously ran for Congress in Washington state’s 3rd district, has maintained close ties with Gabbard. During his campaign, he questioned the legitimacy of President Biden’s election victory and described the January 6 attack as an “intelligence operation,” referring to charged rioters as “political prisoners”.
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Kent also faced inquiries about his participation in a Signal group chat involving senior Trump national security officials who reportedly discussed the March 15 airstrikes on Houthi militants in Yemen. He maintained that the shared content was unclassified but declined to answer further questions, citing ongoing litigation.
The Pentagon’s Inspector General recently announced an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of encrypted messaging to coordinate the strikes.
