In a new twist on years-old conspiracy theories about the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, conservative lawmakers, publications and media personalities are claiming recently released security footage shows an undercover federal agent disguised as a Donald Trump supporter. This is false; the man pictured is Kevin Lyons of Chicago, who was sentenced after stealing from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the riot.

"I can’t wait to ask FBI Director Christopher Wray about this at our next oversight hearing," says Republican US Senator Mike Lee of Utah in a November 18, 2023 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The post includes a message from Derrick Evans, a US congressional candidate and former West Virginia state lawmaker who pleaded guilty to a felony after breaching the Capitol during the 2021 riot.

"Is this person flashing a badge? If so, this would prove there were undercover federal agents disguised as MAGA," Evans says in a November 18 X post sharing a screenshot from a video.

Similar posts rocketed across X and other platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. Conservative media personalities, such as podcaster Joe Oltmann and Newsmax host Grant Stinchfield, amplified the claims.

"BREAKING J6 VIDEO: Undercover Officer Disguised as Trump Supporter Flashes Badge to Cops As He Enters US Capitol on Jan. 6," said the Gateway Pundit, a far-right website that has repeatedly published misinformation about the attack, in a headline shared across social...

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