**Key Takeaways:**
1. **CIA’s Involvement in Jan. 6 Capitol Riots:** Newly discovered communications reveal the CIA’s limited yet significant roles during the Capitol riots, including deploying dog teams and bomb technicians.
2. **Documentary Evidence:** Judicial Watch obtained 88 pages of documents, showcasing the CIA’s actions in response to the events, particularly near the locations where explosive devices were found.
3. **Ongoing Investigations:** The identity of the individuals who placed pipe bombs at political party headquarters remains unknown, highlighting an ongoing security concern.
4. **Misinformation and Corrections:** Initial reports, including the circumstances surrounding Ashli Babbitt’s death, contained inaccuracies, underscoring the chaos and confusion of the day.
5. **High-Level Awareness:** The communications indicate that top officials, including the CIA director, were promptly informed about the developments, emphasizing the event’s significance and the government’s response.
—
Newly discovered communications records have unveiled the CIA’s involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots for the first time, highlighting the agency’s strategic yet limited roles. Judicial Watch, after sharing 88 pages of documents, revealed the CIA’s proactive measures, including the deployment of dog teams and bomb technicians near the Capitol, specifically in areas where explosive devices were discovered at the headquarters of both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee.
These revelations stem from heavily redacted documents obtained by Judicial Watch through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, seeking intelligence communications from Jan. 6, 2021. This was the day when supporters of then-President Trump stormed the Capitol in a bid to halt the certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral victory, with some resorting to violence.
Despite the involvement of nearly all federal and city law enforcement agencies in managing the situation, the CIA’s participation had remained largely undisclosed until now. The documents provide insight into the intelligence communication chains, highlighting the agency’s presence and actions during the riots.
Judicial Watch’s findings include text messages provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, dated “January 7 Intel Chain,” which mention the CIA’s involvement. One message details the assistance of “two CIA bomb techs” at a pipe bomb scene, while another mentions “several CIA dog teams on standby.”
The search continues for the individuals responsible for placing the pipe bombs at the party headquarters. Moreover, the texts reveal inaccuracies in initial reporting, such as the circumstances of Ashli Babbitt’s death, an unarmed ex-Air Force veteran shot by a U.S. Capitol Police officer. Contrary to early reports, Babbitt was shot in the shoulder, not the chest, as she attempted to enter the Speaker’s Lobby behind the House floor.
The communications also show high-level awareness of the events, with the CIA director being promptly informed. Discussions included the evacuation of Congress members to Fort McNair, an alternate location allowing them to continue their work amidst the chaos.
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton remarked on the significance of these records, emphasizing the CIA’s deployment in response to the Jan. 6 disturbance. This underscores the organization’s leading role in investigating the riots and the government’s overall reaction to the events.