Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) took Attorney General Merrick Garland to task over the “wonderfully coincidental” misdemeanor charges brought against Capitol riot instigator Ray Epps.
Epps, the former leader of the “Oath Keepers” chapter in Arizona, was indicted nearly three years after January 6th.
Epps was seen in multiple videos encouraging the crowd to go into the Capitol, helping to incite pro-Trump protesters to riot and breach the building.
“Tomorrow, we need to get into the Capitol! Into the Capitol!” he is seen telling rallygoers in one video from the scene, while some around him respond, “No,” and begin chanting, “Fed! Fed! Fed!”
New footage circulating on social media shows Epps taking part in a crowd surge toward a police line.
On Wednesday he pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly conduct on restricted grounds, a misdemeanor which has resulted in an average jail sentence for those convicted of just 55 days.
EXCLUIVE: Never before released J6 video captures Ray Epps (and others) amidst the violent conflict at the police line on the West Plaza
This is near the Media Tower, apparently before Epps helped push the large metal sign into this police line pic.twitter.com/NoMFKNv58F
— Stephen Horn (@stephenehorn) September 19, 2023
RELATED: FBI Had So Many Informants In The Crowd On January 6th That They Lost Count
Massie Blasts Garland Over Show Charges For Ray Epps
Massie blasted the “wonderful coincidence” that Ray Epps was charged with a misdemeanor while “grandmas” who played an ancillary role in the Capitol riot are being sent to prison.
“Yesterday you indicted him. Isn’t that a wonderful coincidence?” Massie said in an acerbic tone. “On a misdemeanor.”
“Meanwhile, you are sending grandmas to prison, you’re putting away people for 20 years for merely filming,” he continued.
MASSIE ON RAY EPPS: “Yesterday you indicted him.. Isn’t that a wonderful coincidence. On a misdemeanor. Meanwhile you’re sending grandmas to prison you’re putting away people for 20 years for filming. Some people weren’t there yet you have the guy on video, he’s saying ‘Go into… pic.twitter.com/zF3vKTr3Jm
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 20, 2023
“Some people weren’t there but you have the guy on video and he says go into the Capitol,” Massie continued, referencing political prisoners sentenced despite not being physically on the scene.
“[Epps is] directing people to the Capitol before the speeches. He’s at the site of the first breach. You have all of the goods on him, ten videos, and it’s an indictment for a misdemeanor,” the congressman concluded. “The American public is not buying it.”
Discussing Ray Epps and January 6#RayEpps @TuckerCarlson #Tucker #J6 pic.twitter.com/PCxwwIiIbU
— Linda Marie Lovison (@lilo623) September 20, 2023
RELATED: The Five Biggest Lies Exposed by Tucker Carlson’s Bombshell January 6th Surveillance Video Release
Claims Garland Perjured Himself
The discussion of Epps was part of a bigger angle in which Massie questioned Attorney General Garland about the presence of FBI informants in the crowd on January 6th.
The Political Insider reported Wednesday on a former assistant director at the FBI testifying that the bureau lost track of the number of paid informants that they had infiltrating the crowd of protesters.
Steven Sund, the chief of the Capitol Police at the time of the January 6th riot, has suggested the FBI had at least 18 undercover agents in the crowd along with an estimated 20 from the Department of Homeland Security.
?BREAKING: In never-before-aired footage from Tucker Carlson’s interview with Steven Sund, the former Chief of the Capitol Hill Police, says J6 was “crawling with feds.”
Sund details that there were 18 FBI undercover agents, plus an additional 20 agents from DHS.
In over 30… pic.twitter.com/jDoXazCvcz
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 4, 2023
Critics have long suspected that there were informants in the crowd during the Capitol riot, and that Epps may have been one himself. The FBI has denied using Epps as an informant, though his lenient charges have only amplified those suspicions.
Massie dug in on Garland regarding the informants, with the Attorney General feigning ignorance on federal involvement despite the testimony mentioned above from an assistant director at the FBI.
The Republican lawmaker referenced the Attorney General’s prior testimony regarding Epps in October of 2021, in which he said he would “not comment on pending investigations.”
With Epps now charged, Massie offered him a chance to comment about the case and the potential for informants having been used.
Massie exposes Garland.
Massie: “How many agents of the government were present on January 5th and January 6th?”
Garland: “I don’t know the answer to that question.”
Massie: “I think you just perjured yourself. You indicted Ray Epps.”
pic.twitter.com/WXwbuU2NZn— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) September 20, 2023
“That was your answer to a question to me two years ago, when I said how many agents or assets of the government were present on January 5 and January 6, and agitating in the crowd to go into the Capitol and how many went into the Capitol,” recalled Massie. “Can you answer that now?”
“I don’t know the answer to that question,” Garland insisted.
“You don’t know how many there were, or there were none?” Massie continued.
“I don’t know the answer to either of those questions,” Garland said. “If there were any, I don’t know how many. I don’t know whether there are any.”
“I think you may have just perjured yourself — that you don’t know that there were any? You want to say that again?” Massie responded. “You don’t know that there were any?”
‘We didn’t buy it’: Rep. Thomas Massie says Merrick Garland apparently forgot ‘everything’ during hearing https://t.co/k53o6GEBVv
— LeoTerrell (@TheLeoTerrell) September 21, 2023
That specific allegation by Massie is contingent on Epps actually being an informant. But Garland’s claim that he has no idea if there were any informants involved on January 6th is a bald-faced lie.
You’d have to ignore the aforementioned testimony from the assistant director. You’d have to ignore the comments made by the former chief of the Capitol police.
You’d have to ignore court documents examined by the New York Times showing the FBI had as many as eight informants embedded with the “Proud Boys” group in the months leading up to the Capitol riot. Along with another report that the FBI had a well-placed informant within the Oath Keepers.
Garland either perjured himself, or he is one of the most blatantly ignorant officials in the Biden administration. Which is it?
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TREASON! Garland is a Traitor of the US! Impeach and Prosecute!
Merrick Garland is only one of many ignorant and inept officials from the Biden administration. All bent, all evil, reveling in their power to lie, cheat, and steal. Remember, this was the number one choice of democrats to be a Supreme Court Justice. How very telling is that of the democrat party? The entire party of JFK has been outed as being the most corrupt party in US history. Destroy them, throw all of these anti-American scum out of political power!
Merrick Garland needs to be impeached and other charges brought against him for lying about not knowing what was going on the 6th of January 2021. He will keep his promise to the Democratic Party even though he is lying under oath. This bullshit has to stop with these liberals who are so obsessed with their lies expecting the outcome to be different. Garland needs to be held responsible and if it needs to happen he should be thrown in jail. People at the Capitol in January didn’t do anything but be there but they are jailed. This bastard is lying under oath and he will walk away with just a slap on his wrist. UNBELIEVABLE!!!
Derelict Garland sure does not to seem to know any damn thing about all those people who are working for him… He claims to know nothing about what goes on in his own department… And they wanted to put this idiot on a supreme Court??? He needs to be put in supreme jail cell for treason
Good job Massie. You made me grateful to McConnell
For keeping Garland a true progressive fascist ?bastardf from being on SCOztid
Just like EVERYONE else in the Biden Administration…Garland is a pure, unadulterated, traitorous EVIL. They ALL belong in prison.
Garland is a modern Bolshevik, a sion of the Russian Bolsheviks, lying is what they do, perverting justice is what they do, destroying the cultural and traditional law of nations is what they do. We should not be surprised in the lest of their perversion of justice and intimidation and persecution of the sons of liberty.
“Garland either perjured himself, or he is one of the most blatantly ignorant officials in the Biden administration.”
Well aren’t you being redundant?
Official of the Biden Administration = blatant ignorance = perjurer
They are all just alternate “identities” of the same creature.
Look at the omissions by this guy and he is the Attn general of the USA. He’s as bad as the rest of the bull shitters we have in this administration nothing but socialists and commies in this White House and the deep stat. How does he not know the answer to this question?
Where in the hell is the Justice in our Country, where is the “Right makes Might”, where is the fairness and an open investigation where the facts are brought before an impartial Jury, why do I not see any Jurors Right of Nullification????????