The throngs of people who surged into the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021 were driven by a “herd mentality” and not any organized plan, according to an FBI informant who infiltrated the Proud Boys right-wing organization and entered the legislature along with hundreds of others.
Identified only by his first name Aaron in court documents, the secret police member testified on March 29 that from what he could tell in the early afternoon of Jan. 6, the removal of police barricades around the Capitol was not planned or done by Proud Boys.
“PB did not do it, nor inspire. The crowd did as herd mentality, not organized. Barriers down at Capitol Building. Crowd surged forward, almost to the building now,” he wrote in a text sent from the scene to an FBI handler located in the Central Time Zone.
However, when he arrived at the Capitol, Aaron helped someone he said was another Proud Boys member block a metal gate and stop police from closing it. That person gave Aaron instructions to do so, he said.
Hundreds of people have been detained, arrested, charged, or put on trial in connection with the events of Jan. 6, including entry to the Capitol itself.
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That day saw hundreds of thousands of people flock to Washington, D.C. in support of then-U.S. President Donald Trump, who delivered a speech at the White House disputing the results of the 2020 election.
After the speech, much of the crowd marched from the White House and Washington Monument lawn down the National Mall to the Capitol, where Congress was certifying the election.
The certification was delayed by the subsequent break-in, and some items were moved or stolen, but the building itself and artifacts were not damaged. One woman, Ashli Babbitt, was tragically shot dead by police; a several law enforcement officers died of health complications following the event.
While Trump had urged his supporters to “fight like hell” during his speech, around 3 p.m. following the clashes he posted on Twitter telling everyone to support the police and vacate the area.
The president’s account was subsequently banned, an action reversed in late 2022 following the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk.
Authorization to break the law to protect himself
Aaron, who testified at the trial of Proud Boy members, including Ethan Nordean, had been an FBI informant since 2008. He infiltrated Proud Boys in 2019 and made the trip to Washington, D.C. from Kansas.
One of his assignments was to speak with people who were not part of the Proud Boys and ascertain what their motivations for coming to the American capital were.
Before the march, Aaron said that he allowed a man wearing military clothing and holding a baseball bat to join the group. “I believe it is off of what I said that allowed him to walk with us,” he said in his reply to a defense attorney.
Aaron also said that he was authorized to commit minor crimes, such as spraying paint or entering restricted areas if it was necessary to protect himself. In addition, he could only take such action if the broader group itself had started to engage in illegal activity.
However, he said that this authorization was “very vague” and that it applied only to his activities in connection with Antifa, the far-left terror group, though there was “the understanding” that this permission also reasonably covered what actions he was allowed to take on Jan. 6.
Despite this, Aaron entered the Capitol because he assumed that he might have to protect “something of historic significance” inside, such as “paintings from the 1700s.”