Stephen A. Smith ignited a firestorm this past week when he accused Democrats of lying about the involvement of federal agents in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol despite an Inspector General’s report that found no evidence of undercover FBI in the crowd or on Capitol Hill.
However, the report did reveal that the Justice Department had 26 confidential human sources working with the FBI in Washington that day, prompting Smith to show support for President-elect Donald Trump’s position that claimed the uprising was a peaceful protest that was “rigged” to look like a riot, even though several people died and 140 police officers were brutally assaulted during the attack.
MAGA supporters on social media quickly seized on Smith’s remarks, sharing video of the remarks to amplify support for Trump with statements like “Trump was right about everything” — while adding fuel to Trump’s pledge to pardon some January 6 defendants.
“Stephen A. Smith says he has woken up after realizing January 6th was likely an inside job,” one person wrote.
The backlash wasn’t far behind. Some have repeatedly called out Smith for appearing to flip flop between his party affiliations. “One added, He’s obviously angling for his own Fox show.”
Confidential human sources collaborate with the FBI to provide valuable information and insights about the operations of organizations that pose threats to national security, such as criminal syndicates, terrorist groups, and espionage networks.
According to the report, four of these confidential sources entered the Capitol building during the events of January 6, while 13 others were present in the restricted areas surrounding the Capitol.
The report highlighted that a confidential human source had direct contact with the leadership of far-right groups like the Oath Keepers and possessed knowledge of plans being discussed by the Proud Boys.
Based on his reading of the report, Smith dedicated a whole segment to his narrative on the latest episode of “The Stephen A Smith Show,” where he embraced the right-wing conspiracy that Democrats played a role in creating the insurrection.
Even Vice President-elect JD Vance suggested the narrative was fake news, writing on social media last Thursday, “For those keeping score at home, this was labeled a dangerous conspiracy theory months ago.”
But Smith was one of those who took the bait, pointing to what he said was hypocrisy in the way Democrats criticize others while engaging in such political exploits.
“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,” Smith said in response to the report and the Democratic Party’s general attitude toward the public.
Known for his contrarian viewpoints, Smith then criticized President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for remaining silent on the topic while they focused on the insurrection narrative leading up to the November election, which Trump won by a landslide. Smith argued that defending liberal values was becoming increasingly difficult now that figures like Sean Hannity, Candace Owens, and Megyn Kelly were dominating the conversation, he said.
“You know what I’m getting really p—d off about?! I’m getting really ticked off. And every time they open their mouth about something pertaining to y’all, they seem right.”
He then argued that Democrats consistently fail to rise above the very allegations they level against their GOP opponents.
“We can argue policies. We can argue politics all day long. But the Democrats worked really, really diligently to make the case that the right had a monopoly on insidious, evil tendencies,” Smith ranted. “Corrupt tendencies. Duplicitous, hypocritical, untruthful tendencies and every time they made those accusations. We turn around and find out that at least some of them are guilty of the same s—t. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of all of it.”
Stephen A. Smith says he has woken up after realizing January 6th was likely an inside job
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 15, 2024
It’s unclear why Smith, a sports commentator known for his outspoken style, went out of his way to address the topic, although he is no stranger to controversy, frequently sharing heedless political views during regular appearances on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, which continue to put him at odds with the Black community.
Back in April, Smith was forced to apologize after he attempted to equate Trump’s legal problems with the historic struggles of Black people, sparking outrage among civil rights advocates.
Although generally considered a liberal, Smith occasionally aligns with far-right views. Recently, Smith criticized Joe Biden for pardoning his son Hunter, an action that prompted Donald Trump to suggest he would pardon January 6 defendants in response. Critics, however, argue that Trump was likely to pardon the Capitol rioters regardless of Biden’s decision concerning Hunter.
“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” Trump declared in his first public comment since Biden announced the pardon for Hunter.
In a Time magazine interview released last Thursday, when Trump was named its Person of the Year, he pledged to pardon some of the rioters immediately upon taking office.
The Justice Department report clarified that none of the confidential sources were authorized to enter the Capitol or engage in unlawful activity; however, four of them did so regardless.
“None of the CHSs who entered the Capitol or a restricted area has been prosecuted to date,” the report noted.
The report criticized the FBI for not effectively sharing intelligence about potential violence with nearby offices.
“The FBI therefore should have canvassed its field offices for any relevant CHS information in advance of January 6,” the report said.
The inspector general’s office reviewed more than 500,000 documents and interviewed more than 200 witnesses before finalizing the report.
