Revealed! Ray Epps Claimed That Capitol Was Open To The Public On January 6

Ray Epps a mysterious January 6 figure One suspect, believed to be a federal agent, claimed that he believed the U.S. Capitol had been open to the public the day of the riot.

The statement appears in a long-awaited transcript The House January 6 Committee released the following Thursday. released its final report last week. Epps, who is a self-described Trump supporter and raised concerns about 2020, was interviewed about January 5, 2021. video footage showing him Encourage a crowd to “go into the Capitol” The next day.

Epps said “yes” when asked if he was under the impression that the Capitol would be open on January 6, the day lawmakers met to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. He said again “yes” When is the word “open” This case was described as “like, open to visitors, like anyone could walk in.”

Epps was asked why he thought the Capitol would remain open. “It was a weekday.” When Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) pressed Epps on how he perceived the negative reaction he received from the crowd in response to his call to enter the Capitol — people around him shouted “No!” And chanted “Fed! Fed! Fed!” — Epps contended, “I don’t think I thought about it at the time,” He also stressed that he believed he “followed that up with peaceably [sic].”

Epps also claimed that his actions that night were geared towards stopping violence. However, he acknowledged that what he said to the crowd, which included that he might get arrested for what he said, was not a good choice of words. “It shouldn’t have been said, but I said it,” Epps testified.

Republican lawmakers and prominent conservatives like Tucker Carlson have fueled speculation about Epps, an Arizonan man and former Oath Keeper. Epps claimed that the interview was with the January 6, Committee. “crazy” The theories swirling about him made his life interesting “really, really difficult.” He flatly denied acting on behalf any government agency during his time in Washington, D.C.

“The only time I’ve been involved with the government was when I was a Marine in the United States Marine Corps,” He stated.

Part of the fascination with Epps derived from how he appeared on the FBI’s Capitol Violence Most Wanted list before he was removed without explanation, per the Washington Examiner. Kinzinger tweeted in January, roughly 10 days before Epps’ interview with the panel, that Epps “didn’t enter the Capitol on Jan 6, and was removed from the most wanted list because apparently he broke no laws.”

When asked about his client being removed from the list so quickly, Epps’ attorney John Blischack clarified that he believed that Epps “was removed shortly after he contacted the FBI and/or the FBI contacted me.”

Recordings released earlier this year to defense lawyers representing people who were charged in connection to the Capitol riot included further details about Epps, including the revelation that two days after the Capitol riot, Epps called an FBI tip line after seeing himself on a list of January 6 suspects, according to The New York Times.

Sources who heard the call said that Epps told investigators what happened in another conversation. This was captured on film on January 6, right before the violence at the U.S. Capitol began. The footage shows Epps whispering into the ears of another man outside the building. Epps claimed that he was trying calm the person and that the police were simply doing their job. Ryan Samsel, the January 6 defendant, reportedly confirmed Epps’ account.

Epps eventually denied that he had broken the law. He testified to the January 6 Committee that he attended Trump’s rally at the Ellipse near the White House, where the former president encouraged people to march on the Capitol To protest the 2020 election results, Epps made his way to Capitol with other protesters. Epps explained that he was aware the Capitol was closed to the public and attempted to diffuse tensions between protesters and police when he witnessed the standoff.

“I just looked around, and I was sick. There was a lot of tear gas, a lot of bad stuff going on,” He testified.

Epps stated that he had begun to leave and offered his assistance to anyone in need. Epps stated that he returned to the hospital afterward. “I saw people crawling all over the Capitol, climbing the walls. It made me kind of ill to my stomach. I decided to go back to the — there was no point in going back. It had gone beyond to what I wanted it to be.”