Question

The January 6 riots were a "set up."

Answer 1

This is wrong. There is no direct evidence to back up any of these claims. Firstly, the main glaring problem is, the Capitol Police Chief did testify to Congress on multiple occasions about the January 6th riots, where he openly expresses fault towards the government and openly said to a Congress panel that January 6th was "preventable." Secondly, court proceedings of this magnitude are never aired on prime time, or ever aired at all. Occasionally, footage may be revealed to the public, but never put directly up on "Prime Time" television. And thirdly, the deletion or misuse of evidence regarding the riots is still up in the air, but no evidence is used to support your claim it was destroyed, or that it was not destroyed. There is no evidence to support any of it.

U.S.C.P. Testimony: https://idahocapitalsun.com/2023/09/20/former-u-s-capitol-police-chief-blames-intelligence-failures-not-trump-for-jan-6-attack/

Proof that National Court Proceedings Aren't Filmed: https://judicature.duke.edu/articles/cameras-belong-in-the-supreme-court/

Comments

Amazing job running down the reasoning to why this is false and also supporting it with proof under showing proof that national court proceedings are not filmed. Got straight to the point and ran down why.

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I appreciate your straight to the point answer. Your fact check was short yet thorough, and the way you laid out the 3 main problems with the original argument makes your fact check easy to follow. I also appreciate that you included two reliable sources.

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I appreciate that you used two non-biased, reliable sources to lay out the facts that lead to your conclusion instead of basing it off opinion. I like that you informed us about misuse of evidence being spread through social media or television, this helps readers understand the importance of checking their sources.

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Nice work I like how you used the Capitol Police Chief’s testimony to show the focus on intelligence failures, not a setup. Your point about court proceedings not being aired on prime time was also a solid way to question how the media shaped this story. I also appreciate that you admitted there’s still uncertainty around the evidence, which makes your argument feel more honest. Overall, you explained your case clearly and backed it with good sources.

Answer 2

This is incorrect. The actions of January 6th are a controversial topic on if it was a set up or not but, according to NPR, "The FBI has classified the 2021 attack as an act of domestic terrorism that injured approximately 140 police officers and endangered the country's peaceful transfer of power.". The public authorities didn't see this coming. How could it be a set up and why would others sacrifice themselves to be injured for a "set up". Sure, you can say that people can put together crazy things but this would've been to a crazier level and degree.

One other reason how this couldn't have been a set up is that the rioters didn't even know their purpose of their actions other than that they were breaking into the capitol. According to PBS and the Associated Press, they reported, "Rioters broke into the Senate chamber minutes after senators had fled under armed protection. They rifled through desks and looked for lawmakers, yelling, 'Where are they?'". The rioters didn't know who was inside, they didn't know who they wanted to (possible) hurt, they had no information when they stepped foot into the capitol. This is another key reason why the January 6th riots couldn't have been a set up.

Sources: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/conspiracy-theories-paint-fraudulent-reality-of-jan-6-riot

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/29/nx-s1-5159868/2024-election-trump-harris-capitol-riot

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-928706165913

Comments

I liked how you used credible sources in your argument to prove your claim. However, I think you could have organized your argument a bit better to include more evidence from the sources. Overall, it is a very good fact check.

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I thought your ideas on the rioters chaotic actions as a way to point away from the idea of a set up. I think you can add some reasons as to why people thought this was coordinated to show you've viewed the other side that believed it was a set up. I appreciate your addition of your sources at the end making your read easy to follow.

Answer 3

I have found that this statement is false because of a multitude of facts and information. One of the biggest reasons that it was not a "set up" is that there were thousands of independent accounts and convictions of the rioters that were inside and outside of the capital building on January 6th. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged more than 1,265 people from nearly every U.S. state for crimes committed during the Capitol attack link. We also know that Far-Right groups like members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy, one of the most serious federal crimes for planning the attack on the capital ahead of time link. One of the main problems with the bluesky post that you have linked to this fact check is that the Chief of Capital police DID make a statement in the aftermath of Jan 6th link. 

Comments

I thought the evidence you provided from the DOJ was a great source to back up your answer. The DOJ is an official website of the government that clearly explains that it was not a setup because the people who actually caused the riot were caught and punished by the law. I also think the statistic was a great way to confirm the statement.

Answer 4

There is no credible evidence that the January 6 Capitol riots were a government “set up.” While watchdog reports confirm that FBI informants were present in Washington, D.C. that day, investigations found they were not authorized to enter the Capitol or incite violence. Claims about “274 FBI agents” being involved have been shown to refer to response efforts, not orchestration. Multiple credible outlets, including Reuters, AP, and the Washington Post, report that law enforcement found little to no evidence of a coordinated federal plot. Overall, the conspiracy theory relies on selective readings of documents and ignores the broader record of investigations.

Sources:

• AP News

• Washington Post

• Reuters

• FactCheck.org