Sports commentator and cultural critic Stephen A. Smith addressed a bombshell Justice Department report on his show, revealing new details about the FBI’s use of confidential informants during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Smith criticized the lack of media coverage of the report, which emerged after the 2024 election, and expressed frustration with Democrats, accusing them of repeatedly misleading the public.
The Justice Department report disclosed that the FBI had 26 confidential informants present at the Capitol on January 6.
The report claims that only three of these informants had been tasked with monitoring potential domestic terrorist suspects, while the remaining 23 engaged in illegal activity of their own accord.
Smith summarized the findings, saying, “The news comes amidst a bombshell report from the Justice Department that revealed the FBI had at least 26 confidential informants on the ground when the Capitol was stormed on January 6, 2021. The report says most of the informants engaged in illegal activity during the chaos. The Justice Department says only three of its 26 informants present had been instructed to observe potential domestic terrorist suspects on the day of the riot.”
Smith expressed frustration with how the report was not widely discussed in the media during the election cycle.
He highlighted how Democrats had used January 6 as a key talking point to portray Donald Trump as a threat to democracy.
“Didn’t hear anything about that for the election. Didn’t hear anything about that when the ‘quote, unquote insurrection’ was broached by Vice President Kamala Harris as a Democratic nominee,” Smith said.
He added, “The belief that Donald Trump was a danger to democracy and using this as a profound, illuminating bullet point to make that case, and now here we are yet again, finding even more evidence to Donald Trump’s claims when he articulated that the process is rigged.”
Smith’s sharpest criticism was directed at the Democratic Party, which he accused of frequently lying, downplaying, or misrepresenting facts. “My big issue is that I’m really, really sick and tired of every time I turn around, finding something else that the Democrats have lied about or downplayed or misrepresented along the way,” he said.
He called attention to conservative voices, such as Megan Kelly, Candace Owens, and Sean Hannity, who have been critical of the government’s handling of January 6 and now feel vindicated by the report.
“You know what I’m getting to with the Democratic Party? You know what I’m getting really pissed off about? I’m getting really ticked off. And every time they open their mouth about something pertaining to y’all, they seem right,” Smith added, referring to conservatives who have raised questions about the government’s actions.
Smith acknowledged that the report gives weight to Donald Trump’s repeated claims about a rigged system. “They’ve actually made Donald Trump look like he was right instead of them,” he said.
He criticized what he sees as a pattern of hypocrisy and duplicity within the Democratic Party. “Every time they made those accusations, we turn around and find out that at least some of them are guilty of the same shit. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m sick of all of it,” Smith concluded.
Stephen A. Smith says he has woken up after realizing January 6th was likely an inside job
pic.twitter.com/F4TLRoi9ms [2]
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 15, 2024 [3]
Smith also referenced Vice President-elect JD Vance’s reaction to the report.
Vance posted on X (formerly Twitter), “For those keeping score at home, this was labeled a dangerous conspiracy theory months ago.”
For those keeping score at home, this was labeled a dangerous conspiracy theory months ago. https://t.co/gNJPUuRp5U [4]
— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 12, 2024 [5]
The report has added fuel to ongoing debates about the events of January 6 and how federal agencies handled the situation.
For Smith, the revelations serve as yet another example of why trust in government institutions continues to erode.