Nearly three years after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol Building, the federal government has added Ray Epps to the list of defendants in the Justice Department’s Capitol Breach Cases.
Epps stands accused of disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.
Epps is currently suing Fox News in Delaware Superior Court over allegations the outlet and its hosts, especially Tucker Carlson, defamed him by promoting conspiracy theories based on his actions during the Capitol attack.
As Mediaite reports:
According to court documents, Epps was charged with a misdemeanor count of disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. According to NBC News, “He was charged by information, which suggests that he plans to enter a plea deal.”
The former marine and one-time chapter president for the far-right Oath Keepers said he went to the Capitol on Jan. 6 in support of then-President Donald Trump. According to The New York Times, Epps was “seen on video encouraging demonstrators to march with him and enter the Capitol at one point. At another point, however, he pleads for restraint once it becomes clear the situation is turning violent. He also pushes past a police barricade into a restricted part of the Capitol grounds.”
The fact that Epps wasn’t immediately charged with any wrongdoing became fodder for Carlson, who promoted the theory that Epps was really an undercover agent used by the FBI to rile up the crowd outside the Capitol. Other supporters of Trump in the media latched on to the theory, which placed blame for the violence not on Trump and his supporters but on shadowy government forces.
Carlson never provided direct evidence showing Epps set a trap on Jan. 6 to imprison Trump supporters.
Fox News executives have since fired Carlson, but that didn’t stop Epps’ lawsuit against the conservative news network.
His complaint reads, in part, “Fox knew it needed a scapegoat for January 6th. It settled on Ray Epps and began promoting the lie that Epps was a federal agent who incited the attack on the Capitol.”
This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.
READ NEXT: House GOP Just Revealed Key Biden Impeachment Details
