According to Mediaite, a conspiracy theory surrounding the events of January 6, promoted by Fox News contributor and The Hill columnist Liz Peek, has been effectively debunked by NBC News’ Ryan Reilly. Peek’s theory, articulated in an article on The Hill in response to the anticipated release of additional videos from the Capitol riot, posited that the tapes would challenge the prevailing narrative of the day.
According to Peek, coverage of the Capitol riot by the “liberal media” and the portrayal orchestrated by House Democrats during Trump’s second impeachment trial present a singular perspective. She contended that certain videos, including those released by Tucker Carlson in April, offer an alternative narrative, alleging that Democrats selectively chose evidence to cast Trump and his supporters in a negative light.
Peek highlighted instances in the footage where protestors were seen being uncuffed and fist-bumped by police, suggesting the presence of undercover FBI or police instigators. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) had raised this concern in a letter to the Metropolitan Police Department. However, Reilly refuted this claim by pointing out that Jared Luther Owens, the individual in question, was released because of police overwhelm and not as a paid instigator, as indicated by charges filed by the Department of Justice.
On October 30, Owens was arrested and charged with felony offenses, including obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assault on law enforcement with a deadly or dangerous weapon, along with several misdemeanors. The charges stemmed from Owens’s alleged attempt to shove a barricade into a line of officers, resulting in a female officer suffering a fractured wrist. Additionally, he is accused of shoving another officer against a wall inside the Capitol before being apprehended.
“Certain videos, some of which were released by Tucker Carlson in April, tell another. It is clear that Democrats cherry-picked the evidence that painted Trump and his supporters in the worst possible light. Commentators on the right have done the opposite. Legitimate questions persist,” she argued before continuing:
For instance, some protestors are shown being uncuffed and fist-bumped by cops, suggesting that there were undercover FBI or police in the crowd, whom some accuse of purposefully instigating the storming of the Capitol. That issue was raised last spring by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), chairman of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, who wrote a letter to the Metropolitan Police Department asking about the presence of “plain-clothes officers.”
The prompt debunking of Peek’s conspiracy theory by Reilly underscores the importance of fact-checking and scrutinizing misinformation, especially in relation to significant events like the Capitol riot. It emphasizes the role of responsible journalism in correcting false narratives and providing an accurate understanding of complex situations.
.@lizpeek has a column in @thehill that claims that a video showing a rioter being uncuffed and released on Jan. 6 (because police were overwhelmed) suggests he was an undercover.
Hard nope! His name is Jared Luther Owens, and he's been charged. pic.twitter.com/wSJuFxy3pu
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) November 27, 2023
