Ray Epps, the former Oath Keeper militia member who was caught on video on Jan. 6, 2021, telling attendees of the "Stop the Steal" rally to march down to the U.S. Capitol building, was sentenced to a year of probation for his role in the riot that took place that day -- much to the chagrin of the MAGA faithful.
After video of Epps circulated, people in right-wing circles speculated without evidence that he must have been some sort of government informant since he was clearly trying to trick people into committing a crime. Now, his light sentence is only fueling that speculation further.
"The only guy who is on camera telling people to storm the Capitol on J6 and who got zero jail time for it is definitely not a fed," The Federalist's CEO Sean Davis wrote on X.
"It pays to be on the FBI payroll," wrote another X user.
"Grandmas from Indiana who didn't go into the Capitol: years in prison. Ray Epps who's on camera and admitted to "orchestrating" the riot: probation. But sure, J6 was totally not a Fed Op," wrote former Fox News contributor Monica Crowley.
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Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie also thinks Epps was an informant.
"Ray Epps, the man who directed people to go into the Capitol and privately claimed credit for orchestrating the Capitol breach, gets one year probation. Nothing to see here!" Massie wrote.
"Ray Epps' charges were theater to shake off the accusations of him being a fed. I now 100% believe he's a fed" wrote comedian Tim Young.
Even Donald Trump Jr. chimed in after Epps' sentencing.
"Ray Epps gets probation, a $500 fine and is able to phone into his sentencing?!? Are you fricken kidding me? Yea guys, he totally wasn't put there to incite things by the feds. Our country is screwed... the traitors in charge aren't even pretending anymore," he wrote.
Epps pleaded guilty in September to a misdemeanor after he was charged with "knowingly, and with intent to impede and disrupt the orderly conduct of Government business and official functions," and engaging "in disorderly and disruptive conduct in and within such proximity to, a restricted building and ground."
