Image Credit: Infowars.com 
The New York Times inexplicably came to the defense of Jan. 6 provocateur Ray Epps on Wednesday, characterizing him as “victim” of a “conspiracy theory” that he was involved in the riot as an asset for the federal government on that day in Washington.
The Times first had to admit that Epps did encourage people to breach the Capitol building – because he was caught on video doing so – but downplayed his role in knocking down the barricades that the paper itself reported culminated into the first major breach of the Capitol at 12:50 PM.
“Epps, 61, was not just a bystander Jan. 6. He traveled to Washington to back Trump, was taped urging people to go to the Capitol and was there himself on the day of the assault. But through a series of events that twisted his role, he became the face of this conspiracy theory about the FBI as it spread from the fringes to the mainstream,” reported The Times.
“Obscure right-wing media outlets, like Revolver News, used selectively edited videos and unfounded leaps of logic to paint him as a secret federal asset in charge of a ‘breach team’ responsible for setting off the riot at the Capitol.”
“While Epps was a participant in some of the events that unfolded Jan. 6, the claim that he inspired the Capitol riot in a ‘false flag’ plot is solely based on the fact that he has never been arrested and therefore must be under the protection of the government.”
Here are several video clips of Epps on Jan. 5 inciting people to breach the Capitol, prompting some in the crowd to call him a “fed.”
Here’s Epps claiming the “Capitol is our enemy” while arguing with people to break into the Capitol:
Here’s Epps helping coordinate the initial breach of the Capitol barricades and participating in clashes with police at the Capitol steps:
The Times then obfuscated the fact that Epps provoked people to breach the Capitol by absurdly claiming that the person who filmed him inciting people to breach the Capitol was in fact the real “right-wing provocateur.”
“During the event, [Epps] was videotaped by a right-wing provocateur encouraging people to go inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 in what he described, even at the time, as a form of peaceful protest,” The Times reported.
Contrast The Times’ characterization of Epps with Infowars reporter Owen Shroyer, who was charged for walking onto the Capitol grounds while actively discouraging violence at the Capitol building.
Likewise, on Tuesday the Jan. 6 Committee attempted to paint Infowars founder Alex Jones as an integral force behind the riot at the Capitol despite him not entering the Capitol grounds.
In fact, Jones was seen on tape discouraging people from protesting at the Capitol.
Yet Epps is somehow the “victim” despite encouraging people on video to breach the Capitol the day before and the day of the riots and actively breaching the Capitol barricades.
The Times’ defense of Epps is also undermined by the fact the FBI had placed Epps on its “Most Wanted List” as “Suspect #16” on Jan. 8 before quietly purging all information about him a day after Revolver News exposed his activities at the Capitol in a 2021 article.
Furthermore, if Epps had no connection to federal agencies, top DOJ and FBI officials would likely have admitted it when questioned by lawmakers under oath.
Instead, they refused to answer any questions about Epps.
For example, in October 2021 Attorney General Merrick Garland refused to answer whether federal agents were embedded in the crowd on Jan. 6 and had instructed participants to breach the Capitol.
I questioned Attorney General Garland about whether there were Federal Agents present on 1/6 and whether they agitated to go into the Capitol. Attorney General Garland refused to answer. pic.twitter.com/RHq3Yd2pbu
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) October 21, 2021
Likewise, the FBI’s National Security Branch Executive Assistant Director Jill Sanborn refused to answer whether Epps or anyone else working with or for federal agents encouraged rioting on Jan. 6.
If the FBI did not participate in or encourage the rioting on January 6th, they would just say so. “No comment” is confirmation that they did exactly that. https://t.co/0ZVkNKXlT6
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) January 11, 2022
If Epps had no links to federal agencies on Jan. 6, the federal government would have gladly proven it.
But instead, they’ve been stonewalling while the Jan. 6 Committee pursues the phone records of hundreds of other civilians at the same time they ignore those of Epps.
“The sham January 6 House Select Committee has now subpoenaed over 100 civilian cell phone records. But you know the fix is in because they have stayed away from subpoenaing the cell phone records of Ray Epps. And Ray Epps is just chilling at home these days, under the apparent protection of the Phoenix FBI,” Revolver News reported.
Additionally, the Jan. 6 Committee took Epps’ claim he wasn’t working with the federal government at face value, quickly proclaiming Epps “informed them” he wasn’t working with or on behalf of any federal agency.
But just a week ago, a FOIA request for all information on Ray Epps pertaining to Jan. 6 and why he was removed from the FBI’s Most Wanted List was categorically denied by the DOJ, who claimed the request was an “invasion of personal privacy.”
If Epps is an innocent “victim” swept up in the Jan. 6 debacle, why is the government doing everything they can to prevent potentially exonerating information from being released?
Maybe it could be that the FOIA information sought is even more incriminating, after all, Revolver highlighted a “network” of operators besides Epps.
And why is Epps weighing lawsuits against news organizations reporting on his activities rather than demanding the government clear his name?
Perhaps time will tell.
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