Trump Claims at Rally That FBI, Antifa ‘Led The Charge’ Into Capitol on Jan. 6

Former President Donald Trump resurrected a tattered conspiracy theory at a campaign rally, claiming that the FBI and Antifa "led the charge" into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump made the comment as he defended those serving prison sentences for crimes that day during an afternoon rally Friday in Sioux Center, Iowa.

"By the way, there was antifa and there was FBI, there were a lot of other people, too, leading the charge, leading the charge," said Trump. "You saw the same that people I did."

People in the crowd clapped

The storming of the Capitol was carried live on TV across the nation. Trump appeared to imply that people were somehow identifiable on TV as members of antifa and the FBI.

Trump and his supporters early on promoted the idea that the violence Jan. 6 was instigated by either antifa or undercover FBI agents — or both.

Nearly 1,300 people have been charged with crimes linked to the insurrection, the Justice Department reported Friday. None are known to be members of antifa or the FBI.

A conspiracy hiding their involvement would require the silence of countless judges, police officers, federal law enforcement officials, members of the National Guard, politicians, witnesses and hordes of journalists — and their friends and families — across the nation.