How many verified FBI informants were at the January 6 Capitol riot and what evidence supports those counts?

1. Conflicting numbers: “About two dozen” vs. “26” vs. hundreds

Rep. Barry Loudermilk has said intelligence files he reviewed show “about two dozen informants” embedded in extremist groups before Jan. 6 and that many of those informants were present at the Capitol ^{[1] [4]}. A December 2024 report is cited in commentary as reporting 26 FBI informants at the Capitol ^[2]. By contrast, other reporting and commentary focus on the broader presence of FBI personnel — for example, descriptions of hundreds of special agents and support staff tied to the Washington Field Office or claims that the FBI had 275 plainclothes agents or personnel in the crowds — but those counts appear to mix categories (special agents, analysts, support staff, plainclothes agents, and “confidential human sources”) and are not the same as a publicly documented number of informants ^{[2] [3]}.

2. Terminology matters: informant vs. agent vs. analyst vs. confidential human source

Available sources show major ambiguity in language. “Informant” or “confidential human source” refers to non‑FBI individuals who provide information to the bureau; “plainclothes agents” or “special agents” are bureau employees deployed covertly; “intelligence analysts and support staff” are yet another category ^{[2] [3]}. Some public statements and media pieces conflate these roles, producing divergent impressions about how many outsiders (informants) versus insiders (agents/personnel) were present ^{[2] [3]}.

3. What the cited evidence actually is

The claims rest mostly on: (a) statements by Rep. Loudermilk that his review of FBI files and intelligence reports showed roughly two dozen informants and warnings provided before Jan. 6 ^{[1] [4]}; (b) references in commentary to a December 2024 report noting 26 informants at the Capitol ^[2]; and (c) later disclosures and reporting indicating large numbers of FBI employees tied to the Jan. 6 investigations or operating that day — for example, cited totals of hundreds of special agents and dozens of analysts, or a claimed 275 plainclothes personnel in the crowd ^{[2] [3]}. None of the provided sources supply a de‑identified, itemized list of named, verified informants publicly released by the FBI.

4. Oversight, politics, and the information gaps

Multiple sources describe political fights over classification, withheld materials, and congressional reviews — Rep. Loudermilk and others have pushed for declassification, and critics say agency disclosures were slow and incomplete; commentators point to missing depositions and footage in committee materials ^{[1] [5]}. Political actors and partisan outlets use partial figures to support opposing narratives: some emphasize informant presence to assert “fedsurrection” or agent provocateur theories, while others note FBI investigative scale to stress legitimate intelligence operations ^{[6] [5] [3]}.

5. What remains unproven in the available reporting

Available sources do not publish a verified, authoritative public count of how many FBI informants were physically at the Capitol on Jan. 6, nor do they provide a complete, declassified inventory linking named informants to actions on that day; where numbers appear, they come from secondary reporting, congressional statements, or commentaries that mix categories ^{[1] [2] [3]}. If you are seeking a conclusive, documented list tying specific informants to specific conduct at the Capitol, that is not present in the current reporting provided here (not found in current reporting).

6. How to interpret competing claims going forward

Treat numerical claims with attention to source and category: an assertion about “dozens of informants” differs from “hundreds of FBI employees,” and neither alone proves that informants incited or orchestrated violence. Pushes for declassification and oversight (noted in congressional activity and reporting) are how these gaps might be resolved; until then, the record remains fragmentary and contested ^{[1] [7] [5]}.