Ex-FBI official claims bureau withheld J6 riot footage to safeguard assets and informants at Capitol.

Former FBI Official Claims Bureau Denied Access to Capitol Video Footage

What Happened?

A former FBI official, George Hill, claimed that the bureau denied Boston Field Office agents access to 11,000 hours of U.S. Capitol video footage on January 6 out of fear it would reveal the identities of possible undercover officers and confidential informants present at the riot. Hill shared his testimony during a hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

What Else Did Hill Say?

Hill also alleged that the bureau’s Washington Field Office pressured Boston agents to open investigations on 140 individuals who traveled to Washington, D.C., from Massachusetts to attend a political rally supporting former President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021. According to Hill, agents from the WFO told him to open 138 individual investigations based on their association with two Trump supporters who organized a bus trip transporting the group to Washington, D.C., and entered restricted areas of the nation’s Capitol building. WFO officials provided pictures of the two individuals inside the Capitol but refused to provide video evidence.

Why Did the FBI Deny Access to the Video Footage?

Hill said when the Boston agents asked why they wouldn’t allow access to 11,000 hours of surveillance video available, WFO agents allegedly said, “There may be UCs, undercovers, or CHSes, confidential human sources, and we need to protect their identities.”

What Did the FBI Say?

The FBI did not comment on Hill’s claims. However, Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) asked FBI Director Christopher Wray at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing last year if the bureau had any confidential human sources dressed as Trump supporters during the Capitol riot. Wray denied FBI informants were in the crowd on January 6.

What Are House Republicans Investigating?

House Republicans are investigating the alleged weaponization of the federal government and have summoned three FBI whistleblowers to speak in front of the House Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. The whistleblower’s testimonies included details about how the bureau allegedly targeted American conservatives, directed agents to inflate so-called domestic violent extremism statistics to fit a political narrative for the Biden administration, and prioritized January 6 investigations over child sex crimes.