Key takeaways:
- Ray Epps attended the Jan. 6, 2021 protest at the U.S. Capitol to support former President Donald Trump and tried to keep the peace.
- Right-wing media, politicians and their followers have twisted his role in the attack, casting him as a government agent who incited an insurrection.
- Epps has been forced to go into hiding, after death threats forced him to sell his home, highlighting the power of right-wing media to shape public opinion and the danger of unchecked conspiracy theories.
A participant in the Jan. 6, 2021 protest at the U.S. Capitol has accused Fox News’ Tucker Carlson of being “obsessed with me” and trying to “destroy my life.” Ray Epps, a 6-foot-4 man in desert camouflage and bright red Trump hat, has been the target of a right-wing conspiracy theory that he attended the protest as an FBI informant to provoke supporters of former President Donald Trump.
For millions of consumers of conservative news, Ray Epps is a notorious villain, a provocateur responsible for turning peaceful protests on January 6th into a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol. But Epps maintains he went to the protest to support Trump, and tried to keep the peace after things began to take a violent turn.
Right-wing media, politicians and their followers have twisted his role in the attack, casting him as a government agent who incited an insurrection. However, Epps has not been charged in connection to the attack, as he was not seen engaging in violence and did not breach the Capitol.
The irony is that Epps was a passionate supporter of President Trump who went to Washington to protest the 2020 election. But after the conspiracy theory took hold, Epps has been forced to go into hiding, after death threats forced him to sell his home. The incident highlights the power of right-wing media to shape public opinion and the danger of unchecked conspiracy theories.
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