Investigators at the FBI have asked the public for information on the instigators of violence at the US Capitol. If the public replies are any indication, agents will be sifting through hundreds of images of politicians.
Dozens of Trump supporters intruded into the Capitol on Wednesday, causing disruption to the US Congress’ count of the electoral votes cast in the presidential election. The FBI wants to know who sent the crowd through the police barricades, so it asked the public to help by “[submitting] any images, videos, or other multimedia files” related to the disturbance.
The responses came in droves, and most of them probably won’t be helpful for the investigation. Some were simply copies of publicly available footage and images of the chaotic scenes unfolding, with a special focus on the most colorful characters in the protester mob.
For the record, the individual in this photo is not named ‘Via Getty’, contrary to what some people on Twitter may believe.
Other commenters were as political as might be expected in a volatile situation like the one gripping the US. Images of Donald Trump, his cabinet, Republican lawmakers, and Rudy Giuliani were all popular submissions.
Some even helpfully provided the address where “the ringleader” lives.
A few responses suggested the FBI should also look into Antifa, referring to a theory that members of the radical left movement somehow infiltrated the MAGA rally and led the charge on the Capitol. No evidence that this was the case was offered, however.
There were also calls to investigate the reason why the protesters managed to enter the supposedly highly secure seat of the US federal legislator with virtually no resistance.
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