Ray Epps denied working for the FBI during Capitol Riot and told Jan 6 committee that bizarre right-wing conspiracies about him being an ‘informant’ forced his wife to move out and destroyed his business
- Fringe far-right media and lawmakers claim Ray Epps was working with the FBI
- Said he instigated the Capitol riot on January 6 to make Trump look bad
- Epps denies that he was working or even in communication with the FBI
- Claims the conspiracy has led to death threats and forced his wife to move out of their home and him to close his business
Ray Epps, 61, had his life turned upside down after right-wing conspiracies swirled that he was working for the FBI as an informant at the Capitol riot – even though he told the January 6 committee that he went to Washington, D.C. on that trip to bond with his son.
Epps denied in his interview with the House panel that he was working for the FBI at the time of the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, according to a transcript released on Thursday.
He also listed a series of tragic events that have plagued him since the conspiracy was started nearly a year ago now. This includes his wife being forced to move out of their home and live elsewhere and a series of death threats directed at himself and his family.
‘I can’t have my wife live in our home,’ Epps said, claiming that he stays there to ‘protect my property.’
He also said during the interview that at no point was he in contact with law enforcement officials from the FBI the month before the Capitol riot.
Selectively edited video from the Capitol riot was used by fringe far-right media outlets and lawmakers to claim that Ray Epps (pictured) was working covertly with the FBI to instigate the attack on January 6, 2021
Epps told the Jan. 6 Committee in a transcript released Thursday that his wife (pictured) had to move from their home due to concerns for her safety following a flurry of threats
The interview was released as part of a dump of transcripts on Thursday, which also included panel discussions with Donald Trump Jr.; his fiancé and former Fox News commentator Kimberly Guilfoyle; Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser; Trump aide Taylor Budowich; and former White House Communications Director Stephanie Grisham.
Epps said that he was forced to sell his business in Arizona due to the ongoing threats emerging from what he claims are all lies.
He claimed that he used to respect some of the lawmakers and media outlets that he now blames for the conspiracies against him. He now classifies these individuals and those who believe the claims as ‘crazies’.
‘We had a tour bus come by our home and our business with all these whacked out people in it,’ Epps told the panel in his interview conducted on January 21, 2022.
Epps, who said he was getting emotional during the testimony, has 38 grandchildren, whom he told the January 6 panel have been ‘picked on at school’ due to the stories being floated about him.
‘There are good people out there that was in Washington,’ Epps said in defense of those protesting the results of the 2020 presidential election on January 6 who gathered outside the Capitol. ‘Those aren’t the people that’s coming by our house.’
‘This attracts all the crazies out there,’ he added.
Fringe right-wing outlets like Revolver News took selectively edited video of Epps from the attack on the U.S. Capitol last January and used it to claim that he was a covert agent working for the FBI to instigate the riot and make Trump supporters look bad.
Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, Epps says, is also one of the main individuals at fault for bringing more light to the rumor that he was working for the FBI to instigate the Capitol riot.
‘It really started when Congressman Massie started his deal,’ Epps claimed. ‘He brought that kind of stuff to the floor of the House. When that happened, it just blew up. It got really, really bad.’
‘Him and, gosh, [Matt] Gaetz and [Marjorie Taylor] Greene, and yeah, they’re just blowing this thing up,’ he continued in reference to other far-right representatives. ‘So it got really, really difficult after that. The crazies started coming out of the woodwork.’
Epps traveled to Washington, D.C. to back Trump in his claims that the results of the 2020 election were fraudulent.
On January 6, 2021, Epps was videotaped urging people to go to the Capitol. He was also there on the day of the attack.
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