FBI Informant Testifies in Defense of Proud Boys

(TotalConservative.com) – An informant for the FBI who marched with the Proud Boys on Jan. 6 to the U.S. Capitol testified on Wednesday that he had no knowledge of any plans by the right-wing group to storm the Capitol building and that he doesn’t believe they inspired any violence during the incident.

The informant didn’t give his full name to the court but identified himself as “Aaron.” He testified as a defense witness for Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, and four lieutenants, all of whom were charged with seditious conspiracy and could face up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors argue that the five men were involved in a plot to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and to keep former President Donald Trump in the White House.

While the mob of Trump supporters began to move onto the Capitol grounds, the informant was communicating with his FBI handler via text and told them that the police barricades were down and the crowd was nearing the building, also specifying that this was not done nor inspired by the Proud Boys.

The informant’s texts said that the mob was “not organized” and acted based on “herd mentality.” The response to these texts by his FBI handler was redacted from the screenshot presented to the jurors by a defense attorney.

The informant, who was permitted to not share his last name and only identified himself as “Aaron,” is one of a few Proud Boys associates who were also informants for the FBI before or after the events of Jan 6. He is the first one to testify.

The prosecutors of Tarrio and the other four Proud Boys rested their case on March 20, and the jurors will hear a few more days of defense witness testimony before closing arguments are presented.

The Capitol riot of Jan 6, 2021, has become one of the most polarizing subjects in American politics, and the DOJ may be looking to hand out charges to nearly 1,000 more suspects over the next few months.

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