FBI Director Kash Patel wouldn’t discredit conspiracy theories that his agency incited the January 6 insurrection during an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” this weekend.
Patel stuck to the far-right script, telling host Maria Bartiromo that the Capitol riot had been “politicized” by President Donald Trump’s opponents.
He began by downplaying Trump’s role in the attack, focusing instead on the delayed National Guard response to the mob, which numbered between 2,000 and 2,500 people.
Conveniently missing from Patel’s framing: Trump’s own words at his “Save America” rally, where he urged followers to “walk down to the Capitol” and “demand that Congress do the right thing.”
“We fight like hell,” Trump also said that day. “And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Later in the interview, Patel teased an upcoming document dump, which he claimed would debunk a “disinformation campaign.”
“We just found a trove of information, and it’s on its way to Capitol Hill right now,” he said. “They’ve asked, and they’re getting it. And you’re getting answers on January 6.”
Bartiromo then prompted Patel to weigh in on the long-running far-right conspiracy theory that undercover FBI agents “egged people on” during the insurrection, an idea which he openly endorsed before taking office but distanced himself from during his confirmation hearings.
Patel dodged: “That answer is coming, and it’s on its way to Congress.”
His deputy, right-wing media personality Dan Bongino, jumped in to emphasize the difference between official agents and FBI informants, suggesting the latter’s role would come to light in the upcoming report.
A December report from the Justice Department’s inspector general already debunked the core of the conspiracy, finding no evidence that the FBI incited the attack.
However, it did confirm that 26 informants were in Washington that day, including four who entered the Capitol, none of whom were directed or encouraged to do so by the bureau.
The report also faulted the FBI for failing to adequately gather intel ahead of the riot, saying better coordination across field offices “could have helped… preparations in advance of January 6.”
In the years since, Trump has repeatedly tried to rewrite the events of that day, calling it a “day of love” during a town hall in Florida last October.
On his first day of his second term, he pardoned over 1500 convicted rioters and commuted the sentences of 14 others.
