Donald Trump posted a new conspiracy theory on Truth Social this week — but appeared to overlook one crucial fact that immediately undermines his claim.
Shortly after midnight on Sunday, Oct. 12, the former president wrote, “THE BIDEN FBI PLACED 274 AGENTS INTO THE CROWD ON JANUARY 6. If this is so, which it is, a lot of very good people will be owed big apologies. What a SCAM – DO SOMETHING!!!”
Trump’s accusation about the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol is impossible, given that he was still president at the time. Joe Biden was not sworn in until Jan. 20, 2021 — two weeks after the insurrection took place.
At that time, the FBI was led by Director Christopher A. Wray, whom Trump himself nominated in 2017 to replace James Comey.
Following the January 6 riot, federal authorities estimated that roughly 10,000 people were present, with about 2,000 to 2,500 storming the Capitol building. The attack left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer.
By May 2024, about 1,400 individuals had been charged with federal crimes related to the insurrection. Upon beginning his second term, Trump issued a proclamation that granted clemency to many of those convicted and dismissed charges against others still facing prosecution.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(734x419:736x421):format(webp)/capitol-riot-827e0d800ddc44988100dab740de7ee6.jpg)
Trump also faced his own repercussions. A week after the riot, the House of Representatives voted 232–197 to impeach him for a second time, citing his role in inciting the violence. Before the mob breached the Capitol, Trump had addressed supporters at a rally, insisting that Biden’s victory was fraudulent and urging the crowd to act.
“We fight like hell,” Trump told his supporters. “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
In October 2024, a 165-page Justice Department document was unsealed, revealing more details about Trump’s behavior on the day of the attack.
Among the targets of the rioters was then–Vice President Mike Pence, who had earlier stated that he lacked the constitutional authority — or intention — to interfere with the certification of electoral votes. In response, Trump posted on X that Pence didn’t have “the courage” to overturn the results. As rioters stormed the building, some chanted threats against Pence, who narrowly escaped harm.
According to the Justice Department’s document, Trump’s reaction upon learning that his vice president’s life was in danger was starkly indifferent: “So what?”
