By Steve Neavling
President Donald Trump is again pushing a debunked claim about the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, alleging that the Biden administration planted FBI agents among the rioters, even though Biden was not yet president at the time.
“THE BIDEN FBI PLACED 274 AGENTS INTO THE CROWD ON JANUARY 6,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Oct. 12. “If this is so, which it is, a lot of very good people will be owed big apologies. What a SCAM – DO SOMETHING!!!”
The false claim repeats conspiracy theories that the federal government orchestrated the attack to discredit Trump supporters. A December 2024 Justice Department inspector general report found no evidence that FBI employees were embedded in the crowd. The report said 26 confidential sources — private citizens who sometimes provide tips to the FBI — attended Jan. 6 events independently, and four entered the Capitol without authorization.
The 274 agents Trump cited refers to the number of FBI personnel deployed after the riot began. Trump-appointed FBI official Kash Patel confirmed on X that “274 FBI agents were thrown into crowd control” that day, contradicting Trump’s claim but calling the deployment “against FBI standards.”
The attack on the Capitol left several people dead, more than 150 police officers injured, and over 1,400 participants charged. Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 1,200 people convicted in connection with the riot.
