Ray Epps, former Oath Keepers president, will plead guilty to Jan 6 charge, report says

WASHINGTON (TND) — Ray Epps, the former Arizona chapter president of anti-government militia group Oath Keepers, is expected to plead guilty to election interference charges, according to the New York Post.

The charge, a misdemeanor count of disruptive conduct of government business, was filed Monday. If convicted, Epps will face a fine and up to one year in prison.

A former Marine, Epps previously encouraged attendees at a Jan. 5, 2021 “Stop The Steal” rally to “go in to the Capitol,” leading some to speculate that Epps was an undercover federal plant trying to instigate the next day's riots. When Fox News attempted to run with these claims, Epps filed a defamation suit against the publication, claiming it encouraged the U.S. Department of Justice to charge him through its reporting.

READ MORE | Proud Boy who broke into Capitol with police shield on Jan. 6 sentenced to 10 years

Epps’s allegiance has repeatedly been questioned by major political figures despite his testifying to the House that he did not work for the FBI.

“A lot of Americans are concerned that the federal government deliberately encouraged illegal and violent conduct on Jan. 6,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., told FBI Executive Assistant Director of National Security Jill Sanborn during a Senate hearing on the events of Jan 6. “My question to you — and this is not an ordinary law enforcement question, this is a question of public accountability — did federal agents or those in service of federal agents actively encourage violent and criminal conduct on Jan. 6?”

In Sanborn’s response, she acknowledged being unable to disclose “sources and methods” before stating that she could not answer direct questions about Epps's allegiances.

Podcast host Joe Rogan has also questioned the events of Jan 6, saying “the intelligence agencies were involved in provoking people into going into the capitol. That’s a fact.”