Reuters reported on Friday afternoon that the FBI had found little evidence of any organization behind the events at the Capitol on January 6 this year.
And more importantly, no evidence that either former President Donald Trump or anyone connected to him had anything to do with what actually did take place.
The FBI finding was confirmed by four current and former agents who were involved in or had knowledge of the investigation.
The Justice Department and US Attorney’s Office refused to comment on the report, but lawyers involved have confirmed that the charges being pursued do not amount to a case of conspiracy against the former President.
While agents said that there was some small evidence of marginal groups having urged their supporters to try to get into the Capitol, that “there was no grand scheme with Roger Stone and Alex Jones and all of these people to storm the Capitol and to take hostages.”
Stone and Jones are prominent public supporters of Trump and had been involved in a rally held close to the Capitol on January 5.
The FBI has also concluded, from interviews of hundreds of people arrested, that even the small number who were intent on getting into the Capitol had no plan as to what to do if they were successful.
Which they were, mostly due to a rather bizarre and to date unexplained lack of adequate security around the building.
Prosecutors have, however, filed charges against 40 alleged minor conspirators. It will be interesting to see what transpires when they come to trial, given that much of the narrative which began on the day of the “insurrection” has already been called into question.
The conspiracy charges are based on contested claims that some of those involved had encouraged military type preparations for the breach of the Capitol. However, prosecutors have not been able to pursue a more wide ranging case alleging seditious conspiracy which Democrats hoped would implicate Trump.
The report, in the midst of crashing approval rates for Joe Biden in the midst of the Afghan debacle, will not assist the Democrats in maintaining their state of siege. Even if it comes at a time when it will receive less media coverage than it otherwise might have.