For nearly four years, the events of January 6, 2021, have been dissected, debated, and politicized more than any single day in recent American history.
From congressional hearings to televised documentaries, one question has always lingered just below the surface: how much did federal authorities know — and when did they know it?
Now, in a bombshell new interview, the man who was in charge of security at the Capitol that day says the FBI withheld crucial information — including the stunning detail that hundreds of FBI agents were already embedded within the crowd.
The Interview That Changed Everything
Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund sat down with John Fawcett on The Great America Show this week and made an extraordinary claim — one that raises serious questions about what truly happened on January 6.
“The FBI never told me,” Sund said. “They never informed me that hundreds of their agents were inside the crowds that day. Not one word.”
The interview comes just one day after a new report revealed that the FBI, under Director Christopher Wray, had deployed 274 plainclothes agents inside the massive crowds that descended on Washington, D.C., that morning — far more than previously disclosed.
That number, more than double earlier estimates, sent shockwaves through both political and law enforcement circles.
Hundreds of FBI Agents Hidden in Plain Sight
The revelation came from congressional sources briefed on a previously unreleased internal memo. According to those familiar with the document, the agents were scattered throughout the area surrounding the Capitol, some embedded within protest groups, others stationed at key access points.
A senior congressional aide told The Blaze that the number “wasn’t necessarily shocking,” noting that the bureau routinely embeds personnel for counter-surveillance at large public gatherings.
Still, the aide admitted that the scale of the deployment — and the FBI’s refusal to disclose it — would only deepen public mistrust.
“Given how long the bureau has avoided answering basic questions about its presence on January 6,” the aide said, “this number will absolutely raise eyebrows. And rightfully so.”
The disclosure contradicts multiple earlier statements from federal officials — including the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General, which had claimed in late 2024 that no undercover FBI employees were embedded in the protest crowds.
A Web of Contradictions
That DOJ Inspector General report, released in December 2024, was 88 pages long and categorical in tone:
“We found no evidence in the materials we reviewed or the testimony we received showing or suggesting that the FBI had undercover employees in the various protest crowds, or at the Capitol, on January 6.”
But the newly revealed figure — 274 FBI personnel — directly contradicts that conclusion.
Even more troubling, it undermines the sworn testimony of FBI Director Christopher Wray, who told Congress in July 2023:
“I’m not sure there were undercover agents on scene,” Wray said at the time. “As I sit here right now, I do not believe there were undercover agents on.”
Those remarks were made under oath.
Now, Sund says the truth paints a far different picture.
“They Never Told Me”
During his interview, Sund described how he met with representatives from every major federal security agency on January 5, 2021 — just 24 hours before the attack.
He specifically asked whether any agency planned to deploy personnel in or around the protest area.
“If they were going to have that kind of presence, the normal procedure would be to assign a liaison to my command center,” Sund said. “That’s standard. If you’re going to put assets in my jurisdiction, you tell me. You coordinate. That’s how we keep things safe.”
“But I was never told a word. Not from the FBI. Not from Homeland Security. Not from anyone.”
Sund said he later learned that his command center had been operating in the dark — while dozens, perhaps hundreds, of FBI personnel were on the ground acting independently.
“If they had agents inside that crowd,” he said, “then someone knew what was about to happen. And if someone knew, they didn’t share it.”
The Bureaucracy That Broke Down
Sund also blamed what he called the “unworkable bureaucracy” of Capitol security — a complex web of overlapping authority between the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms and the Capitol Police Board.
“Even though I was the chief of police,” he explained, “there was a chief law enforcement officer for the House and a chief law enforcement officer for the Senate that sat over top of me. It created a tangle of bureaucracy that paralyzed real-time decision-making.”
“You’d like to think the chief could call the shots, especially with my experience. But that wasn’t the case on January 6.”
Sund has long argued that this structure left him unable to respond swiftly to the unfolding chaos. He has also said that his requests for National Guard support were delayed by congressional staff who feared the “optics” of deploying troops at the Capitol.
“It’s like no other jurisdiction in the world,” he said. “They really need to fix that.”
The Missed Warning
Perhaps the most disturbing part of Sund’s account involves a classified FBI report issued the night before the riot — a report that explicitly warned of potential violence.
The document, circulated through the FBI’s Norfolk, Virginia, field office, reportedly contained posts from online forums calling for attacks against lawmakers, urging armed participants to “storm the Capitol,” and threatening to “shed blood for liberty.”
Sund testified before Congress in 2021 that the Capitol Police never saw it.
“We never received that warning,” he told senators. “I was not made aware of that intelligence.”
It wasn’t until after January 6 — when the report was leaked to the media — that Sund discovered his department had, in fact, received it.
“It was sent to one of our officers assigned to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force,” Sund recalled. “That officer passed it to someone in our Intelligence Division. And that’s where it died. It never made it to my desk.”
In other words: the Capitol’s top cop went into January 6 unaware of a federal bulletin predicting violence the next day.
Pelosi’s False Claim
The revelations also revive questions about the role of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who insisted in 2021 that no one — not even President Trump — had requested National Guard assistance prior to the riot.
That claim was later proven false.
Trump’s former Acting Secretary of Defense, Christopher Miller, testified that the White House had authorized up to 20,000 National Guard troops days before the protest.
Emails and call logs corroborated that authorization — yet the request was stalled at the congressional level.
Sund says he made multiple pleas for National Guard support on January 4 and again on January 6, both of which were delayed or ignored.
“We could have prevented the breach,” he told Fawcett. “But there was hesitation from the leadership above me. They didn’t want the optics of soldiers on Capitol Hill.”
That hesitation, he said, cost lives.
How Many Agents Were Really There?
Even now, no one knows the exact number of federal agents, informants, and undercover operatives who were in or near the Capitol that day.
Officially, the FBI has acknowledged “some presence” — a phrase critics say is intentionally vague.
Unofficially, the new number — 274 FBI agents — may not even include additional personnel from the Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or the U.S. Marshals Service, all of whom had operations in the area.
“It’s entirely possible that there were more than 300 federal operatives on the ground,” said one intelligence analyst familiar with Capitol investigations. “The government’s own agencies may not even know how many were there.”
That possibility has only fueled suspicion among conservatives who believe the events of January 6 were, at least in part, provoked or mishandled by federal forces.
The Political Fallout
The revelations from Sund’s interview have already sent ripples through Washington.
Several House Republicans have demanded a new investigation into what they call “federal misconduct or negligence.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said the disclosure “blows apart years of denial.”
“If hundreds of FBI agents were embedded in the crowd and the chief of Capitol Police wasn’t informed,” Jordan said, “then the American people were misled — plain and simple.”
Democrats, meanwhile, have dismissed the story as “politically motivated,” arguing that the agents’ presence was “routine and appropriate” for an event of that magnitude.
But even some moderates in Congress are calling for transparency.
“We need clarity,” said Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.). “The American people deserve to know who was there, what their role was, and why that information wasn’t shared with Capitol security.”
A Crisis of Trust
For many Americans, the issue is no longer just about what happened on January 6.
It’s about what hasn’t been said since.
Public trust in federal institutions has collapsed to record lows. According to a 2025 Pew Research survey, only 31% of Americans say they “trust the FBI to tell the truth.”
Among Republicans, that number drops to just 14%.
“Every new revelation reinforces what millions already believe,” said political scientist Rebecca Fallon. “That Washington doesn’t tell the truth — not even about the biggest events in modern history.”
The FBI has declined to comment on the new report. Director Wray, who remains under pressure from House investigators, has said he will “review” the matter internally.
The Day That Still Defines America
For Sund, who resigned in the aftermath of the riot, the memories remain raw.
He says he has watched every second of the footage — frame by frame — searching for answers.
“I see my officers fighting for their lives,” he said. “I see people breaking windows, climbing walls, screaming. And I still ask: where were the people who could have helped us? Where were the warnings? Why were we left in the dark?”
Four years later, he still doesn’t have those answers.
The Questions That Won’t Go Away
If the FBI truly had 274 agents on the ground, who coordinated them?
Who gave the order?
Why was the Capitol Police not informed?
And how many of those agents actually witnessed — or filmed — the violence from within?
Until those questions are answered, January 6 will remain not only a day of infamy but also one of America’s deepest unsolved mysteries.
“The American people have been told to ‘move on,’” Sund said. “But how can we move on when the truth still isn’t out?”
The Bottom Line
The former Capitol Police Chief’s stunning revelation doesn’t rewrite what happened on January 6 — but it reshapes how Americans understand it.
If Sund’s account is accurate, federal authorities may have had far more situational awareness than anyone ever admitted.
And that raises the most explosive question of all:
Did Washington fail to prevent January 6 — or did it choose not to?
Either way, as new evidence surfaces and more officials speak out, one truth grows harder to ignore: the full story of January 6 has yet to be told.
Ethan Blake is a skilled Creative Content Specialist with a talent for crafting engaging and thought-provoking narratives. With a strong background in storytelling and digital content creation, Ethan brings a unique perspective to his role at TheArchivists, where he curates and produces captivating content for a global audience.
Ethan holds a degree in Communications from Zurich University, where he developed his expertise in storytelling, media strategy, and audience engagement. Known for his ability to blend creativity with analytical precision, he excels at creating content that not only entertains but also connects deeply with readers.
At TheArchivists, Ethan specializes in uncovering compelling stories that reflect a wide range of human experiences. His work is celebrated for its authenticity, creativity, and ability to spark meaningful conversations, earning him recognition among peers and readers alike.
Passionate about the art of storytelling, Ethan enjoys exploring themes of culture, history, and personal growth, aiming to inspire and inform with every piece he creates. Dedicated to making a lasting impact, Ethan continues to push boundaries in the ever-evolving world of digital content.