Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) stated this week that significant revelations about federal law enforcement’s actions during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot will emerge after President-elect Donald Trump’s administration takes office next month.
Cruz’s remarks follow a Department of Justice (DOJ) inspector general report released on Thursday, revealing that the FBI deployed at least 26 confidential informants to Washington, D.C., on the day of the Capitol riot. The report’s findings have fueled concerns over intelligence failures and the conduct of federal agencies leading up to and during the event.
Cruz on Bondi and Patel’s Role
Cruz said Trump’s nominees for U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi, and FBI director, Kash Patel, would bring transparency to the FBI’s activities on January 6 once they assume their roles in the new administration.
“What the report says is the FBI didn’t instruct them to encourage others to commit crimes,” Cruz said. “I believe we will know much, much more about this in the next couple of months. Once we have Pam Bondi and Kash Patel confirmed, I think they will release significantly more information to the public.”
Cruz emphasized that the public deserves answers about the FBI’s involvement and potential culpability. “I think they both understand the public has a right to know what was the FBI’s level of involvement, what was the culpability?” he continued. “I think there is significant public interest in the answers to that. And I think the Biden Department of Justice desperately wants to avoid anyone from knowing that. But you know what? The Democrats lost the election, and elections have consequences.”
Inspector General’s Report on FBI Informants
The DOJ inspector general’s report detailed that 26 informants, or confidential human sources (CHSs), were present in D.C. on January 6. These informants were tasked by FBI field offices to monitor “domestic terrorism subjects” potentially attending the event.
While the report stressed that none of the informants were directed to “encourage others” to commit illegal acts, it revealed that four informants entered the Capitol during the riot, and 13 others entered restricted areas around the building. Despite these findings, none of the informants have been prosecuted to date.
Informants’ Actions and FBI Oversight
The inspector general’s investigation found that informants were not authorized to enter the Capitol or restricted areas but still provided relevant information about the riot. Some informants offered details about groups such as the Oath Keepers, whose members were later convicted of seditious conspiracy.
The report also noted that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., declined to prosecute individuals whose sole offense was entering restricted Capitol grounds, aligning with its general approach for hundreds of similar cases.
Cruz’s Call for Accountability
Cruz highlighted the importance of transparency and accountability in understanding the federal government’s role in January 6. He pointed to the report as evidence that significant questions remain unanswered and expressed confidence that Bondi and Patel would prioritize releasing information that the Biden administration had allegedly sought to withhold.
Cruz’s remarks underline the heightened anticipation for further disclosures about federal law enforcement’s activities during the Capitol riot and their broader implications for public trust in government institutions.
In 2022, I grilled the FBI and DOJ during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over the FBI’s involvement in January 6th.
Senior FBI officials stonewalled and denied when I pressed them on it.
Yesterday, a report dropped from the Inspector General confirming that the FBI had… pic.twitter.com/MgUY7hqd6H
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 13, 2024