In a sensational revelation that will send shockwaves through the nation, the House Judiciary Committee Republicans have unleashed an explosive letter that exposes the FBI’s shocking mismanagement on January 6th. The letter, featuring transcribed testimony from former Assistant Director-in-Charge of the Washington Field Office (WFO) Steven D’Antuono, reveals that the FBI had lost count of its confidential human sources (CHSs) in the Trump crowd on that fateful day.
D’Antuono’s testimony suggests that the FBI had so many operatives in the crowd that they had no idea how many were actually there! The sheer magnitude of this operational oversight is not just alarming but downright scandalous. This revelation raises serious questions about the FBI’s ability to effectively manage and monitor its informants.
In an attempt to ascertain the number of CHSs present at the Capitol, the WFO asked FBI Headquarters to conduct a poll among their personnel. The responses they received were startling. For instance, a CHS from the Kansas City Field Office was reportedly on-site at the Capitol and had allegedly been in contact with his handler during the event, attempting to quell some of the action.
This new information is deeply concerning, suggesting that the FBI lost control of its CHSs present at the Capitol on January 6. It reinforces existing concerns about the FBI’s use of, and payment to, CHSs who have fabricated evidence and misrepresented information.
🚨🚨🚨 FBI lost count of how many paid informants were at Capitol on Jan. 6https://t.co/TUTKofWN9W
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) September 19, 2023
The Justice Department Inspector General has also identified critical problems in the FBI’s CHS program, including the FBI’s failure to fully vet CHSs and the willingness to ignore red flags that would call into question an informant’s reliability.
This scandal is yet another black mark against the FBI, which has already come under fire for its handling of the January 6th incident. It’s time for a thorough investigation into the FBI’s management and oversight of its informants.
As shocking as these revelations are, they are merely the tip of the iceberg. The American people deserve to know the full extent of the FBI’s mismanagement on January 6th. Only then can we begin to address the systemic issues that led to this disastrous oversight and ensure that such a debacle never happens again.