The Creation of a Conspiracy

On Jan. 8, 2021, the FBI listed an unidentified man -- "photograph #16" -- on its gallery of rogues who may have forcibly entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the certification of electoral votes that day. 

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Washington Field Office is seeking the public's assistance in identifying individuals who made unlawful entry into the United States Capitol Building on January 6. 2021, in Washington, D.C.," the FBI tweeted at the time. 

The man in photograph 16 was soon identified as James Ray Epps, a onetime leader of the Arizona branch of the anti-government group known as the Oath Keepers. Epps admitted to the Arizona Republic that he was at the Capitol that day, although no evidence shows him inside the building.

Epps' photo was removed from the FBI's list without charges being filed against him.

Two legal experts told staff writer Saranac Hale Spencer that there could be any number of reasons why the FBI removed Epps' photo. It could simply mean the FBI no longer needs help in identifying Epps, or perhaps there isn't enough evidence to charge him with a crime, or maybe he is cooperating with investigators. 

Those are all very logical reasons, but two members of Congress -- Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz -- aren't buying it. They are promoting the conspiracy theory that Epps may have been an FBI plant and a key figure in an elaborate (and secret) government plot to lure Trump supporters into the Capitol for the purpose of arresting them. There is no evidence for this theory. 

On the one-year anniversary of the Capitol riot, Greene and Gaetz held a press conference at which Gaetz promised to "expose the truth" and "ask key questions" about "the extent to which the federal government may have been involved" in initiating the violence. He said, "No one has been charged with treason. But it very well may have been a fedsurrection.”

Who is Ray Epps? And why do Greene and Gaetz think he was an FBI plant?

Read Sara's story, "Jan. 6 Conspiracy Theory Centers on Baseless Claim About Ray Epps."

Reader: Did CDC admit that over 75% of all COVID Deaths had multiple health issues?

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely: You are undoubtedly referring to an interview that CDC Director Rochelle Walensky gave to “Good Morning America” on Jan. 7. Her remarks were edited by the TV show’s producers in a way that caused some confusion. 

In the interview, Walensky said, “The overwhelming number of deaths – over 75% -- occurred in people who had at least four comorbidities, so really these are people who are unwell to begin with.” Her remarks were widely shared. One tweet included a video clip of her remark that had received than 4 million views.

However, Walensky was not talking about all COVID-19 deaths. She was referring to a CDC study of 1.2 million fully vaccinated people that was released the same day as the interview. 

The CDC study referenced by Walensky found that 2,246 people out of 1.2 million fully vaccinated individuals became infected with COVID-19, known as “breakthrough infections,” and 36 of those people died. The study found 78% of the 36 fully vaccinated people who died had at least four comorbidities. In the report’s summary, the CDC said, “Vaccinated persons who are older, immunosuppressed, or have other underlying conditions should receive targeted interventions including chronic disease management, precautions to reduce exposure, additional primary and booster vaccine doses, and effective pharmaceutical therapy to mitigate risk for severe outcomes. Increasing vaccination coverage is a critical public health priority.”

So, Walensky was not saying that over 75% of all COVID-19 deaths occurred in people who had at least four comorbidities. She was referring to only 36 people in the CDC study. 

Having said that, it had been widely known since the beginning of the pandemic that older people and those with compromised immune systems or those who have underlying health conditions fare worse when getting infected with COVID-19. That’s nothing new. The CDC website still cites "an analysis of more than 1.3 million laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 that were reported in the United States between January and May 2020,” which concluded that “the probability of serious COVID-19 disease is higher in people aged ≥60 years, those living in a nursing home or long-term care facility, and those with chronic medical conditions.” That study was published in June 2020 – more than a year and a half ago. 

Lost in all of this is a key takeaway from the recent CDC study: “Increasing vaccination coverage is a critical public health priority.”

Wrapping Up

Here's what else we've got for you:

• "Fauci’s Financial Disclosure Forms Are Publicly Available": In a hot-mic moment, Dr. Anthony Fauci called Sen. Roger Marshall a “moron” after the Kansas Republican asked Fauci to publicly release “a financial disclosure form.” Marshall appeared unaware that federal law already requires Fauci to submit annual financial disclosure reports, which are public.
• "Social Media Posts Continue to Misidentify Justice Sotomayor in Dinner Photo": Politico misidentified Justice Sonia Sotomayor in a photo of a Jan. 7 dinner of Democrats – the same day she participated remotely in oral arguments. Politico corrected the error on Jan. 8. But social media posts continued to wrongly claim Sotomayor attended the dinner and appears in the photo. The woman pictured is Sen. Chuck Schumer’s wife.
• "FactChecking the Justices' COVID-19 Claims": The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Jan. 7 challenging the Biden administration’s attempts to expand COVID-19 vaccinations. Here we present the facts on some COVID-19 claims made by the justices.
• "Jim Jordan’s Beef with Jan. 6 Committee": In a recent interview on Fox News, Rep. Jim Jordan rattled off several grievances he has with Democrats — including with the Democratic-controlled committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.  
• "Death of Betty White Leads to Swirl of Falsehoods on Social Media": TV actress Betty White passed away at age 99 on Dec. 31. Following her passing, various falsehoods appeared on social media about White, including claims that she died after getting a COVID-19 booster shot and that she was the sister of former first lady Barbara Bush. White died of natural causes, according to her agent, and she had no siblings. Her death certificate says she died of a stroke.
• "FactChecking Claims About the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot": The Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was the culmination of months of false claims about election fraud. On that day — and afterward — we debunked false, misleading and unfounded claims related to the events that day.

• "Artículo hace afirmaciones infundadas que vinculan lesiones y muertes de atletas con las vacunas": Muchos atletas en Estados Unidos se han vacunado contra el COVID-19 sin presentar ningún efecto adverso. Pero un medio conservador ha citado una lista de atletas supuestamente lesionados por las vacunas para afirmar que “puede haber algo malo con la vacuna”. No hay ninguna prueba de que las vacunas hayan perjudicado a los atletas de la lista, la mayoría de ellos, de hecho, retirados.
• "El COVID-19 es bastante más letal que un resfriado, contrariamente a lo que sugiere un video viral": El COVID-19 ha matado a más de 805.000 personas en Estados Unidos, según los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades. Pero un video viral en las redes sociales sugiere que la enfermedad es igual a un “resfriado común”. El COVID-19 está en la misma familia de algunos virus del resfrío, pero su potencial para desencadenar un desenlace grave, incluyendo la muerte, es bastante superior al del resfriado común.
• "Médico hace afirmación falsa sobre muertes fetales en hospitales canadienses": Los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC, por sus siglas en inglés) recomiendan la vacunación contra el COVID-19 a personas embarazadas y la Organización Mundial de la Salud dice que las vacunas son seguras para ellas. Sin embargo, artículos en línea citan a un médico canadiense que sostiene falsamente que las vacunas han causado un número inusualmente alto de partos de fetos muertos en hospitales canadienses. Un representante hospitalario nos dijo que “esta afirmación no es cierta”.