BREAKING NEWS: Foreign Interference Being Probed in Origins of Capitol Riots
There is a new report that the origins of the capitol riots on January 6th are being investigated for potential foreign interference.
There is a new report that the origins of the capitol riots on January 6th are being investigated for potential foreign interference.
Catherine Herridge, Senior Investigative Reporter at CBS News, broke the news of the probe on Tuesday night.
"NEW: Law enforcement official confirms to CBS News the Task Force is reviewing allegations rioters used tours of the Capitol to do reconnaissance prior to January 6th, though the official said, to date, the review had not uncovered evidence to support allegations or that lawmakers were involved + The official said the task force is reviewing whether there was foreign support to include money, and on social media, but the official said no conclusions reached."
UPDATE: NBC News has also provided a new report on the law enforcement task force's probe into possible foreign interests playing a role in fomenting the capitol riots.
The FBI is investigating whether foreign governments, organizations or individuals provided financial support to extremists who helped plan and execute the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, one current and one former FBI official told NBC News.
This is the specific intelligence that has been uncovered thus far:
As part of the investigation, the bureau is examining payments of $500,000 in bitcoin, apparently by a French national, to key figures and groups in the alt-right before the riot, the sources said. Those payments were documented and posted on the web this week by a company that analyzes cryptocurrency transfers. Payments of bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, can be traced because they are documented on a public ledger.
One of the biggest findings? The alleged payment traces back to early December.
On Dec. 8, Chainalysis reported, the donor sent 28.15 BTC — worth about $522,000 at the time of transfer — to 22 separate addresses, many of which belong to far-right activists.
The Chainalysis blog post, first highlighted by Yahoo News, said far-right podcaster Nick Fuentes received the most money, 13.5 BTC — worth approximately $250,000.
Nick Fuentes was a pivotal in organizing the "Stop the Steal" rallies and is the leader of the "Groypers," a far-right extremist group.
The word that reconnaissance was potentially used prior to the uprising is consistent with earlier reports of pre-planning before the capitol riots. Pipebombs were placed at the RNC and the DNC, a classic diversionary tactic that suggests the capitol building may have been a target.
Furthermore, at today's Senate impeachment trial, the House impeachment managers argued that there were protesters spotted wearing wires.
The entire basis of the Democrats' impeachment is that Trump was singularly responsible" for the "inciting an insurrection." Beyond the impossibility of inciting an event with a speech that was planned in advance, confirmation of foreign interference to stoke and assist the capitol siege would be devastating to the Democrats' case.