At last one of the most controversial figures involved in the January 6th riots at the Capitol has been charged. On Tuesday, September 19, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Washington D.C., Matthew Graves file a charge against Ray Epps with a single count of disorderly and disruptive conduct related to his actions on that day.
This news comes after there was much speculation that Epps had avoided charges while hundreds of other participants were arrested and or jailed awaiting trial.
JUST IN: Ray EPPS charged with single count for Jan. 6 conduct. https://t.co/jGdWGI0NMi
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) September 19, 2023
Commentators circulated rumors that Epps was somehow tied to the government and instigated the riots; citing video evidence of him encouraging participants to enter the Capitol when it was closed to public access and Congress was certifying election results from 2020.
On-camera footage showed him telling onlookers he would “probably go to jail” for entering the Capitol and urging them to follow his lead.
During the riot, another camera filmed him wearing a red Trump hat before assisting in pushing over a barricade which caused a stampede against police officers trying to contain an increasingly hostile crowd.
This lame single charge tells us everything we need to know about Ray Epps.
No obstruction felony? No civil disorder charge? Not even a trespassing on restricted grounds misdemeanor?
Can't even tell you the last time I saw an "information" (misdemeanor version of indictment)… pic.twitter.com/zQ0rGT23ES
— Julie Kelly ???????? (@julie_kelly2) September 19, 2023
In July, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before The House Judiciary Committee that there is no correlation between Ray Epps and any government agency, dismissing allegations as “ludicrous”.
But this did little to stop reactions on social media platforms such as X where Julie Kelly asked why only one charge has been leveled against someone she believes is an instigator responsible for more than just disorderly behavior.
Kelly wrote on Twitter:
“No obstruction felony? No civil disorder charge? Not even a trespassing on restricted grounds misdemeanor? Epps not only encouraged people to go into the Capitol on Jan 5 and 6, he was one of the first to breach exterior lines, interfered with security, and remained on restricted grounds for more than an hour.”
Steven Sund, who wrote an account of his harrowing experience on J6 as former Chief of Security for USCP, also called into question why someone like Epps could avoid multiple charges despite so much evidence against them: “Here you have a guy on camera repeatedly saying ‘We are going to the Capitol’ and he is not in jail when people who did not go into The Capitol are in jail? What do you make of that?”
