A trial of Proud Boys members in Washington, DC, was rocked by the revelation that an FBI agent had infiltrated the defense team, raising questions about the agency’s involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol disturbance.
According to Julie Kelly, who has followed the January 6 trials extensively, more than twice as many informants as defendants—ten in total—are now known to have been active in the Proud Boys.
A member of Latinos for Trump named Jen Loh was recently revealed to be an FBI informant who had been in constant touch with the defendants and their legal team throughout the trial, potentially jeopardizing their right to a fair trial.
The attorney-client privilege and the Sixth Amendment would have been breached if the government had spied on conversations between the defendants and their lawyers through the use of an informant.
According to CNN:
Several members of the far-right group, the Proud Boys, are currently on trial for seditious conspiracy, and for the last year, a lady from Texas named Jen Loh has been in contact with them, chatting with them and their defense counsel about the case and identifying prospective witnesses and attorneys who may aid.
Loh was also working for the FBI as an informant the entire time.
This week in federal court in Washington, DC, the defense learned of her contact with the government, which threw a kink into the trial.
After President Trump appointed Judge Timothy Kelly to preside over the case, the defense raised objections to the trial’s continuing because Loh had failed to warn them of their presence.
On Monday, the defense team will interrogate Loh. However, concerns have been raised regarding how much the FBI knew about the Capitol incident and whether or not informants encouraged the mob.
Many of the individuals who have entered guilty pleas in cases stemming from January 6 have stated that they decided to trespass or commit other crimes on their own. It is unclear, however, what part informants play.
It has been falsely alleged by some Trump supporters that the disturbance was instigated by left-wing organizations or was staged by the FBI. However, the mystery surrounding FBI informants has given rise to these suspicions.
According to Trump, the Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the Republican Majority Leader in the Senate Mitch McConnell turned down his request for National Guard assistance in the days running up to January 6.