A top FBI official would not answer a critical question regarding violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol Building a year ago Jan. 6 during a Senate hearing on Tuesday.
Specifically, Jill Sanborn, the FBI Executive Assistant Director of the National Security Division, would not answer when she was asked during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing if FBI agents and/or confidential informants actively participated in the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and if they committed crimes or acts of violence or encouraged same.
Sanborn was grilled by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on the issue, repeatedly claiming that she could not answer because she could not “go into the specifics of sources and methods.”
Sen. Ted Cruz: "Did any FBI agents or confidential informants actively participate in the events of January 6th? Yes or no?"
FBI: "Sir, I can't answer that."
— Steve Guest
Here is the exchange:
CRUZ: I want to turn to the FBI. How many FBI agents or confidential informants actively participated in the events of January 6th?
SANBORN: Sir, I’m sure you can appreciate that I can’t go into the specifics of sources and methods.
CRUZ: Did any FBI agents or confidential informants actively participate in the events of January 6th? Yes or no?
SANBORN: Sir, I can’t. I can’t answer that.
CRUZ: Did any FBI agents or confidential informants commit crimes of violence on January 6th?
SANBORN: I can’t answer that, sir.
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CRUZ: Did any FBI agents or FBI informants actively encourage and incite crimes of violence on January 6th?
SANBORN: Sir, I can’t answer that.
“A lot of Americans are concerned that the federal government deliberately encouraged illegal and violent conduct on January 6th,” Cruz later said.
“My question to you and this is not an ordinary law enforcement question, this is a question of a public accountability, did federal agents are those in service of federal agents actively encourage violent and criminal conduct on January 6?” he pressed.
“Not to my knowledge, sir,” Sanborn claimed.