Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund stated in a recent interview that he was not informed by the FBI about the deployment of hundreds of its agents in plainclothes during the events of January 6, 2021. Sund made the remarks on “The Great America Show” while discussing new disclosures about the size of the FBI’s presence at the Capitol that day.

The comments followed reports that the FBI, under then-Director Christopher Wray, had placed 274 plainclothes agents within the large crowds on January 6 — a number far higher than earlier estimates. This revelation adds to ongoing debates about how much federal involvement and prior knowledge existed during the events surrounding the Capitol.

A senior congressional source noted that the presence of FBI personnel at such large public gatherings is not unusual, as the bureau often embeds staff for countersurveillance purposes. However, the source also acknowledged that the FBI’s refusal to publicly outline the scope of its deployment on January 6 may lead to skepticism and further scrutiny.

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These developments come after the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) previously reported that it had found no evidence of undercover FBI employees embedded in the crowds. That report, released in December 2024, appeared to contradict newer claims about the size and role of FBI personnel present during the protests.

During congressional testimony in July 2023, FBI Director Wray told lawmakers he did not believe undercover agents were present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. At the time, he stated that he was unsure about the presence of such personnel, signaling a lack of clear public information on the issue.

Sund added that on January 5, one day before the protests, he asked multiple federal agencies whether they would be assigning liaisons or deploying personnel. He said no such information was shared, even though standard practice typically involves coordination with local command centers.