What was Ray Epps doing at the US Capitol on Jan. 6? A conspiracy theory is swirling
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It's known as the Ray Epps conspiracy theory. At the center of it is a former Marine from Arizona who on Jan. 6, 2021, rallied at the U.S. Capitol in support of former President Donald Trump.
But Epps is no hero to many on the far right. They have labeled him an agent of the deep state and an undercover FBI agent engaged in a false flag operation designed to inflame protesters to discredit Trump.
Epps said the claims, pushed by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and amplified by MAGA supporters on social media, resulted in death threats that forced him to abandon his business, sell his home and move out of state.
Epps is now fighting back and has filed a defamation suit against Fox News. Here is what you need to know.
Who is Raymond Epps?
Epps, 62, is a former chapter president of the Oath Keepers militia group in Arizona. He was in the U.S. Marine Corps before moving to Queen Creek and opening a wedding events venue business.
He previously lived in Las Vegas. He is married, a father and a grandfather. He describes himself as deeply conservative and a two-time voter for Trump.
Was Ray Epps working undercover for the FBI agent on Jan. 6?
Epps says the claim is untrue and the only time he worked for the government was as a Marine. He said he traveled to Washington, D.C., with his 36-year-old son to support Trump on Jan. 6.
In a video on the eve of the riot, Epps was captured saying, "We need to go to the Capitol." Other Trump supporters shouted back that he was a federal agent. The next day Epps, wearing camouflage and a red Trump hat, was again videotaped telling people to go to the Capitol.
Another video later emerged of him standing at a police barricade when the Capitol was first breached.
Was Ray Epps charged in the Capitol riot?
More than two years after the Capitol riot, on Sept. 19, 2023, Epps was charged with a misdemeanor count of disorderly or disruptive conduct.
Epps has indicated that he intends to plead guilty, and shortly after the charge was filed, a judge scheduled a plea agreement hearing for Sept. 20.
Epps was not charged with entering the Capitol building. Videos show him outside the building, first rallying with protestors then attempting to deescalate them.
Did Ray Epps know he would be charged?
Epps predicted he would be charged. In his lawsuit against Fox News, Epps said the Department of Justice notified him in May that it would be filing charges against him for his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
That the FBI once circulated Epps' picture on a list of people it sought to identify from the Capitol riot and then removed it has been used by conspiracy theorists as evidence that Epps was a plant.
Epps has a more likely explanation: As soon as he saw his picture, he contacted the FBI and spoke to investigators. Epps said the pending charges prove he is not a member of the deep state.
What did Tucker Carlson say about Ray Epps?
The former Fox News host promoted conspiracy theories that the FBI used agent provocateurs to whip Capitol rioters into a frenzy on Jan. 6 — and he used Epps as a prime example.
Carlson ratcheted up the rhetoric about Epps in successive episodes of his popular broadcast after the insurrection. He first raised questions about Epps, played videos of him at the Capitol, pointed to Epps never being charged, then accused him of stage-managing the insurrection.
Carlson offered no direct evidence to support his claims.
Did Republican lawmakers spread the Ray Epps conspiracy?
Yes. Carlson's theories spread among Trump supporters on conservative websites, prompting lawmakers in Congress to take up the issue.
Two Republican senators in January 2022 questioned top Justice Department and FBI officials during a Senate Judiciary Committee about whether Epps was a U.S. government informant.
The special House Committee investigating the Capitol insurrection responded that it had interviewed Epps. Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, R-Illinois, who was a member of the Jan. 6 committee, publicly denied Epps was an FBI informant.
Carlson later accused government officials of lying about Epps.
Who is Ray Epps suing?
Epps is suing Fox News for unspecified damages, claiming he was defamed.
His lawsuit was filed in the same Delaware court where Dominion Voting Systems filed its lawsuit against Fox News for lies it broadcast about voting machines. Fox in April agreed to pay Dominion $787 million to settle the case.
Epps does not name Carlson as a defendant in his lawsuit, which notes Fox News allowed other employees, including Laura Ingraham, to broadcast the false claims.
Epps' lawsuit tries to put the false claims in context of the broader Fox News coverage, which Epps claims inspired him to travel to Washington, D.C. The lawsuit says he was an avid viewer and the stories he watched persuaded him the election had been stolen from Trump.
What did Ray Epps tell 60 Minutes?
Epps and his wife, Robyn, said in an interview with CBS News 60 Minutes they relive the moments of Jan. 6 every day. Watching footage of the riot two years later, Epps said that he recognizes that he was part of an attack on the Capitol.
Epps said in the April interview with 60 Minutes that he said some stupid things, including urging people to go to the Capitol and to go inside the Capitol. But he changed his mind when he saw the violence break out and instead tried to broker some kind of peace.
60 Minutes host Bill Whitaker said there is no video of Epps committing violence or any evidence that he entered the Capitol.
"I thought I could stop it," Epps said in the interview. "So I went back and forth. I talked people down. And I just worked the line back and forth."
Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him at robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8694. Follow him on Twitter @robertanglen.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ray Epps is suing Fox News. Why was he at the US Capitol on Jan. 6?
