The US intelligence community is actively investigating whether the FBI played any role in planning the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, according to a senior official.
Joseph Kent, chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, made the revelation on Wednesday during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on his nomination to lead the US National Counterterrorism Center. “We’re looking into it right now,” Kent said in response to questions from Democratic Senator Mark Kelly.
Kent did not specify which of the 18 intelligence agencies is conducting the inquiry. However, the matter falls under Gabbard’s jurisdiction, as her office oversees the FBI’s intelligence functions.
The investigation comes despite a US Justice Department watchdog report released in December, which debunked far-right conspiracy theories alleging FBI involvement in the Capitol riot. The report confirmed that 26 FBI informants were present in Washington, D.C. that day, but none were authorised to enter the Capitol or incite violence.
Senator Kelly pressed Kent on a past post he made on the social platform X (formerly Twitter), where he claimed that US intelligence and the FBI may have helped orchestrate the attack. In response, Kent cited the known presence of FBI informants and alleged efforts by federal agencies to suppress that information. He added that the FBI’s Washington Field Office was “probably” involved and that this was under investigation by the intelligence community.
The hearing also brought renewed scrutiny to Kent’s political affiliations. A former Green Beret and CIA officer, Kent is a known Trump loyalist. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2022 with campaign support from Tulsi Gabbard, and has previously called the Capitol attack an “intelligence operation” and referred to the rioters as “political prisoners.”
Asked for comment, Gabbard’s office referred to her recent announcement of a new task force aimed at rebuilding public trust in US intelligence. The task force’s stated mission includes investigating alleged politicisation, unauthorised leaks, and declassifying material deemed to be in the public interest.
Kent was also questioned about his participation in a Signal group chat in which Trump-era national security officials reportedly discussed March 2024 airstrikes against Houthi militants in Yemen. While he claimed the material shared was unclassified, he declined to comment further, citing ongoing litigation. The Pentagon’s Inspector General is currently probing the use of the messaging app for planning the strikes.
Melissa Enoch
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