Capitol riot

Pro-Trump protester Ray Epps files defamation suit against Fox News

Ray Epps accused Fox News of telling a “fantastical story” that he acted as a government-sponsored instigator of the violence

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: Ray Epps, in the red Trump hat, center, gestures to others as people gather on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. January 6 marks the second day of Pro-Trump events fueled by President Donald Trump's continued claims of election fraud in an to overturn the results before Congress finalizes them in a joint session of the 117th Congress.
Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Ray Epps, a Trump supporter who became the focus of right-wing conspiracy theories after he protested in Washington on Jan. 6, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News and former host Tucker Carlson for claiming he was an undercover FBI agent who helped provoke the riot at the Capitol that day.

In his lawsuit, Epps accused Fox News of telling a “fantastical story” that he acted as a government-sponsored instigator of the violence that ensued as Congress sought to certify Joe Biden's electoral victory.

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The lawsuit, which seeks punitive and compensatory damages to be determined at trial, argues that Carlson launched a “years-long campaign” that spread falsehoods that “destroyed” the lives of Epps and his wife, who now reside in Utah but were living in Arizona at the time.

On Jan. 6, 2021, supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol during the certification of Electoral College votes. NBCLX Political Editor Noah Pransky brings you a timeline of the day and the aftermath.

For more on this story, go to NBC News.

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