274–275 Plainclothes FBI Agents at Jan. 6

A newly publicized FBI after-action report and congressional disclosures show the bureau deployed roughly 274–275 plainclothes agents in and around the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and document agents' complaints that they lacked proper safety equipment, clear instructions, identifiable markings, and alleged politicization at FBI leadership. Multiple news organizations and fact-checkers say the documents do not prove agents instigated the attack and instead indicate FBI personnel responded to Capitol-area threats such as pipe bombs and a weapons-filled truck. A Justice Department Inspector General review found no evidence that undercover FBI employees were embedded in the crowds, though it noted 26 confidential human sources were present. President Trump amplified conservative reports claiming agents were "secretly placed" in the crowd and demanded names and an investigation, while FBI leadership (Director Kash Patel) publicly disputed Trump's timeline, saying agents were sent after the riot was declared to assist with crowd control and criticizing former director Christopher Wray. Republicans have seized on the disclosures to demand further probes, and House investigators and a new subcommittee are pressing for answers about who the agents and informants were and whether their presence affected Jan. 6 investigations and prosecutions.