A video of a self-described contracting officer for the Central Intelligence Agency saying there were about 20 Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in the crowd ahead of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol is dominating right-wing circles on social media.
The video, of an undercover journalist from Sound Investigations, shows Gavin O’Blennis stating that he personally knew agents in the crowd on Jan. 6—contradicting past statements from FBI officials.
“There are, there always are when there’s a big protest in DC, just in case it gets out of hand like that,” O’Blennis said, adding that there were not enough “to turn that tide” of the crowd.
“I’m talking we maybe had 20. You needed 1,000 to get rid of that crowd,” he said.
Some right-wingers have long alleged that the FBI conspired to cause the riot, with about a quarter of Americans saying in a poll conducted in December 2023 that it is “probably” or “definitely” true that the FBI instigated the insurrection.
That claim was strongly rejected by FBI Director Christopher Wray, though Wray also avoided confirming or denying the presence of FBI informants in the crowd.
In the video, O’Blennis also bragged about being about to “kinda put anyone in jail if you know what to do,” adding that the FBI walks “a fine line” around entrapment.
The Daily Dot could not independently verify O’Blennis’ credentials, but Google’s results for his now-deleted LinkedIn shows he worked in immigration at the Department of Homeland Security. A screenshot of his LinkedIn on the video says he worked at the FBI. Sound Investigations included an image from O’Blennis’ phone and said it is his acceptance letter with the CIA.
He also added that “we were after [Alex Jones] hardcore,” but he’s no longer a target “because he’s broke” following Sandy Hook families winning nearly $1.5 billion in judgments against him over his hoax claims about the 2012 school shooting.
O’Blennis noted that Jones didn’t commit a crime that would put him in jail, adding that “being ignorant is not a crime though it should be”
“He didn’t incite a riot like Cheeto [Donald Trump], he didn’t encourage people to go shoot people,” he added.
The video of O’Blennis caused an uproar on social media, prompting even Elon Musk to weigh in about the claims about FBI agents on Jan. 6.
“Concerning,” Musk wrote.
The clip was similarly shared by former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn—who quickly lost that job in the Trump administration after lying to the FBI about his contacts with a Russian ambassador.
“If you want to know how corrupt the U.S. intelligence community truly is, watch,” Flynn said of the O’Blennis clip.
The Republican-leaning polling firm Rasmussen Reports weighed in as well, writing: “Not an Insurrection – but just like voters believe – A Fed-surrection.”
HodgeTwins, a conservative political commentary duo consisting of two twin brothers, reacted: “Shut down every single one of these tyrannical organizations immediately.”
In addition to giving fresh air to unfounded assertions that the FBI instigated the attack, the video also renewed some conservatives’ opposition to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is set to expire April 19 unless Congress renews it.
“This isn’t national security. This isn’t law enforcement. This is fascism,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said of O’Blennis’ statement that anyone could be put in jail. “Yet another reason why we’d be crazy to reauthorize FISA 702 without a warrant requirement.”
And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) similarly opined on X: “Alex Jones and many others have been the target of the deep state for many years. Congress can not pass FISA authorization without STRONG warrant requirements. We have to end this.”
Correction: The Daily Dot originally stated O’Blennis’ credentials weren’t established in the video. It has been updated to say the Daily Dot could not independently verify his credentials.
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