Ray Epps Charged Over Jan. 6 Riot, Dealing Major Blow to Tucker Carlson’s Conspiracy Theory

Ray Epps, who was the subject of a conspiracy theory promoted by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, has been charged with one count related to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

According to court documents, Epps was charged with a misdemeanor count of disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. According to NBC News, “He was charged by information, which suggests that he plans to enter a plea deal.”

The former marine and one-time chapter president for the far-right Oath Keepers said he went to the Capitol on Jan. 6 in support of then-President Donald Trump. According to The New York Times, Epps was “seen on video encouraging demonstrators to march with him and enter the Capitol at one point. At another point, however, he pleads for restraint once it becomes clear the situation is turning violent. He also pushes past a police barricade into a restricted part of the Capitol grounds.”

The fact that Epps wasn’t immediately charged with any wrongdoing became fodder for Carlson, who promoted the theory that Epps was really an undercover agent used by the FBI to rile up the crowd outside the Capitol. Other supporters of Trump in the media latched on to the theory, which placed blame for the violence not on Trump and his supporters but on shadowy government forces.

Epps’ hometown newspaper The Arizona Republic reported:

Carlson ratcheted up the rhetoric about Epps in successive episodes of his popular broadcast after the insurrection. He first raised questions about Epps, played videos of him at the Capitol, pointed to Epps never being charged, then accused him of stage-managing the insurrection.

Carlson offered no direct evidence to support his claims.

Carlson has since been fired by Fox News, where he made most of his comments about Epps. Still, Epps is suing the cable news network for defamation, writing in a complaint, “Fox knew it needed a scapegoat for January 6th. It settled on Ray Epps and began promoting the lie that Epps was a federal agent who incited the attack on the Capitol.”