The FBI had at least 26 informants in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, the day of the U.S. Capitol riot, including some who committed offenses but are not among the hundreds who have been charged with crimes, the inspector general for the Department of Justice said in a report released on Thursday. Informants, or confidential human sources (CHSs) as they are called by the U.S. government, are used by law enforcement for various investigations, yet the sheer number of them suspected to have been in the crowd on January 6 has fueled concerns about intelligence failures and doubts about whether they acted appropriately. The new report said the inspector general’s team determined three informants were tasked by FBI field offices in the days leading up to the January 6 certification of the presidential election results with the “required approval” by the FBI’s Washington Field Office to travel to D.C. for events to report on “domestic terrorism subjects” who were possibly going to be in attendance. A review by the watchdog found that these three CHSs and another 23 FBI informants who were in D.C. for January 6 events did not receive authorization to enter the Capitol or a restricted area, “or to otherwise break the law” on January 6. The inspector general’s report also stressed that none of the informants were directed by the FBI to “encourage others” to commit illegal acts on January 6. However, the inspector general’s team determined, four informants entered the Capitol during the riot and another 13 of them entered a restricted area around the building, “which was a security perimeter established in preparation for” the certification process. Despite this finding, none of the CHSs have been prosecuted to date, the watchdog added. CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE A footnote in the report included a response from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., which said it “generally has not charged those individuals whose only crime on January 6, 2021 was to enter the restricted grounds surrounding the Capitol, which has resulted in the Office declining to charge hundreds of individuals; and we have treated the CHSs consistent with this approach.” The report said the inspector general’s team determined that “many” of the informants provided “relevant” information related to the January 6 electoral certification and a few also gave details about the riot as it occurred. Information provided included particulars related to the Oath Keepers, some of whom were later found guilty of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to prison. Still, the report said the information was “no more specific than, and was consistent with, other sources of information” about the potential for violence on January 6. And, the inspector general’s team noted, a review of FBI field offices did not “identify any potentially critical intelligence related to a possible attack on the Capitol on January 6 that had not been provided to law enforcement stakeholders” prior to that day. The watchdog said it found no evidence the FBI had undercover employees in the “protest crowds” or at the Capitol on January 6, which FBI officials stressed would have been against the bureau’s policy with regard to First Amendment-protected events “absent some investigative authority.” A Washington Field Office official told the inspector general’s team he denied a request to have an undercover employee “engage in investigative activity” on that day. One issue raised by the watchdog was that some of the intelligence obtained by informants was not “adequately shared” with the Washington Field Office or, if it was shared, was not sufficiently followed up on by the office. In its recommendations, the inspector general advised the FBI to “assess” how it prepares for “potential domestic security issues” that are not designated National Special Security Events to help ensure “clarity” of responsibilities. The FBI, in its response, said it “continues to disagree” with some of the “factual assertions” in the watchdog’s report, but said it accepted the recommendation. It also noted that the Department of Homeland Security has designated the 2025 certification as a National Special Security Event, which was not the case in 2021, but was “nonetheless committed” to assessing policies and procedures for further events that do not receive such a ratcheted-up level of security.