(WASHINGTON) — A recently released watchdog report has revealed that the FBI could have done more to proactively collect intelligence ahead of the Capitol riot, even though some precautions were taken in anticipation of potential violence on January 6, 2021. The report highlighted that there were no undercover FBI agents on-site that day, and none of the bureau’s informants had been given permission to participate in the events.

This report, published by the Justice Department’s inspector general, challenges a fringe conspiracy theory that has gained traction among some Republican lawmakers, suggesting that the FBI played a role in inciting the riot. On that fateful day, rioters, driven by a desire to overturn Donald Trump’s electoral defeat to Joe Biden, violently clashed with law enforcement as they stormed the Capitol.

The review emerges nearly four years after a significant event that tested the very foundations of American democracy.

Although the report’s scope was limited, it sought to address critical questions regarding possible intelligence failures leading up to the riot and whether any individuals in the crowd were acting under FBI orders. This investigation is part of a broader series of inquiries into the extraordinary events of that day, which have already prompted congressional investigations and multiple indictments at both federal and state levels.

The watchdog found that 26 FBI informants were present in Washington for protests surrounding the election on January 6. Notably, while three of these informants entered restricted areas, none had received authorization to do so, nor were they allowed to engage in unlawful activities or encourage others to break the law.

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The report indicates that while the FBI took reasonable steps to prepare for January 6, it fell short of thoroughly scanning its 56 field offices nationwide for relevant intelligence.

The inspector general’s comprehensive review was initiated just days after the riot, following a January 5, 2021, alert from the FBI’s Norfolk, Virginia, office that warned of potential “war” at the Capitol. The former head of the FBI’s Washington office stated that the details from this warning were swiftly shared with other law enforcement agencies via a joint terrorism task force.

However, officials from the Capitol Police have claimed they were unaware of this bulletin at the time and insisted they had no specific or credible intelligence suggesting that a protest at the Capitol would escalate into a large-scale assault.

FBI Director Chris Wray, who plans to resign at the end of President Biden’s term in January, defended the agency’s management of the intelligence report. Wray informed lawmakers in 2021 that the information was communicated through the joint terrorism task force, discussed at a command post in Washington, and made accessible via an internet portal for other law enforcement agencies.

“We communicated that information in a timely manner to both the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department through multiple channels,” Wray asserted at the time.

The conspiracy theory suggesting that federal law enforcement officers incited the mob has gained momentum in conservative circles, with some Republican lawmakers backing it. Recently, Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., implied on a podcast that agents masquerading as Trump supporters were responsible for sparking the violence.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who withdrew as Trump’s pick for attorney general amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations, sent a letter to Wray in 2021 asking about the number of informants present at the Capitol on January 6, questioning whether they were “passive informants or active instigators.”

Previously, there was uncertainty about how many FBI informants were in the crowd that day. During a congressional hearing last year, Wray refrained from disclosing how many individuals who entered the Capitol and nearby areas on January 6 were either FBI agents or had been in contact with the FBI. Nevertheless, he firmly stated that the notion of the violence being part of an FBI operation is “ludicrous.”

During the trial of former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio last year, an FBI informant testified about marching to the Capitol alongside members of the extremist group, detailing interactions with his handler as the crowd of Trump supporters surged toward the building. Importantly, this informant did not participate in the Telegram chats that the Proud Boys allegedly used to plan violence in the days leading up to January 6.