by Kay Smythe, January 11, 2022
Federal Bureau of Investigation Executive Assistant Director Jill Sanborn refused to deny the FBI’s involvement in violence, encouraging violence, and inciting events at the Capitol on Jan. 6th, 2021, in Tuesday’s hearing in the U.S. Senate.
When pushed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on the FBI’s involvement on Jan. 6th, Sanborn said, “I can’t answer that,” to almost every question.
Cruz began by asking how many FBI agents or confidential informants actively participated in the events of January 6th. To this, Sanborn replied, “Sir, I’m sure you can appreciate that I can’t go into the specifics of sources and methods.”
Cruz then asked if any “FBI agents or confidential informants actively participant in the events of January 6th. Yes or no?” Instead of denying the FBI’s participation during Jan. 6th. Sanborn replied: “Sir, I can’t answer that.”
Sanborn, the FBI’s Assistant Director of National Security, responded similarly to Cruz’s questions, “did any FBI agents or confidential informants commit crimes of violence on January 6th?” and “did any FBI agents or any FBI informants actively encourage and incite crimes of violence on January 6th?”
The news raises fresh concerns over the FBI’s covert involvement in the events of January 6th, as detailed at length by investigative website Revolver.news.
In recent weeks, corporate media outlets have hurried to baselessly smear the claims made by reporters Darren Beattie (Revolver) and Julie Kelly (American Greatness), assigning “fact check” interns to rubbish their reporting without evidence.
Sanborn could have answered positively or negatively to any of Cruz’s questions, but instead refused to answer and/or deny the FBI’s involvement throughout the questioning.
Following the refusal to deny FBI involvement, Senator Cruz pivoted his questioning and focused on a suspected federal agent or informant, retired Marine, Ray Epps. Cruz detailed Epps’s behavior on the night of January 5th. Footage was taken of Epps chanting, “we need to get into the Capitol. Tomorrow. We need to get into the Capitol!”
The crowd found Epps’s behavior so strange that multiple members started chanting “Fed! Fed! Fed!” Cruz asked Sanborn directly, “Ms. Sanborn, was Ray Epps a Fed?”
Sanborn replied, “Sir, I cannot answer that question.”
Cruz continued to describe Ray Epps’s behavior on the following day, Jan. 6th. Cruz brought up a photograph of Epps whispering to a person, who then immediately started tearing down the barricades around the Capitol.
“Did Mr. Epps urge them to tear down the barricades?” Cruz asked, to which Sanborn replies in exactly the same manner. She refused to deny that Epps was a federal agent or informant and encouraged people to break into the Capitol on Jan. 6th.
On Jan. 8th, the FBI released a public post seeking information on a number of individuals accused of violent crimes at the Jan. 6th rally. Ray Epps appeared in the first post made by the agency, but was removed from subsequent posts by the FBI.
Cruz then noted that, according to public records, Epps has never been charged in relation to his actions on Jan. 6th.
“Ms. Sanborn, a lot of Americans are concerned that the federal government deliberately encouraged illegal and violent conduct on January 6th. My question to you… did federal agents or those in service of federal agents actively encourage violent and criminal conduct on Jan. 6th?”
MUST READ: DATA: Nearly Half of America Believes FBI Acts as ‘Joe Biden’s Personal Gestapo’.
Sanborn replied, “not to my knowledge, Sir.”
Watch:
Questions over the federal government’s involvement in inciting the events of Jan. 6th were raised after it was reported that House and Senate security officials refused resources to Capitol Police amidst growing concerns for the size of the crowd in attendance.
A recent poll showed voter mistrust in the FBI with many believing the agency is acting as President Joe Biden’s “personal Gestapo” – a reference to Adolf Hitler’s secret German police.
In the stunning poll, forty-six percent of Likely U.S. voters said they have a favorable impression of the FBI, with just 15 percent claiming to have a Very Favorable view of the agency. That’s down from May 2020, when 60 percent had a favorable impression of the FBI.
Forty-seven percent now view the FBI unfavorably, with 26 percent admitting to a Very Unfavorable impression.
In recent months, FBI leadership has even been called “a group of politicized thugs at the top of the FBI who are using the FBI … as Joe Biden‘s personal Gestapo.” Forty-six percent (46%) of voters agree with this assessment, including 29 percent who Strongly Agree.