Who is Ray Epps? Just another example of Republicans eating their own

[babylonsister]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/1/12/2074203/-Who-is-Ray-Epps-Just-another-example-of-Republicans-eating-their-own

Who is Ray Epps? Just another example of Republicans eating their own
Mark Sumner
Daily Kos Staff
Wednesday January 12, 2022 · 10:24 AM EST


When insurgents smashed their way into the Capitol on Jan. 6 both Republican members of Congress and the propagandists at Fox News had no doubt about who was in charge of the violence. From Kevin McCarthy’s frantic calls, to Sean Hannity’s texts, all of them were begging Trump to call off his dogs. Even Donald Trump’s own son was texting Mark Meadows in an effort to get his father to pull back his private army. Not one of those texts was mentioned a belief that the violence was generated by infiltrators from Black Lives Matter, or antifa, or the FBI.

In the critical moment, all of them, from Jim Jordan to Laura Ingraham, knew the truth: Trump inspired the violence, Trump directed the violence, and the mob ripping through the Capitol building was doing the bidding of their master.

But of course, none of that was what they said in public or on the air. Even before the attack began, right-wing media was already claiming that antifa and BLM infiltrators were among the crowd. In the hours after the attack, the need for a scapegoat accelerated, and it didn’t take long for the Q-inspired network of Trump supporters to land a greasy finger on the perfect fall guy. That guy was Ray Epps—a 60-year-old member of their own ranks, and the former president of the largest branch of the Oath Keepers militia. He’s a far-right Trump supporter who has been thrown under the bus by his fellow Trumpists.

All of this seems to stem from a Jan. 5 video in which Epps is seen calling on people to “go into the Capitol” while insisting that they do so “peacefully.” Add in the fact that Epps has not been arrested in connection with the insurrection, and that was enough for those looking for anything other than the truth.

Epps was declared an FBI mole by social media sleuths. It didn’t take long before the Trump faithful became convinced that Epps had been planted in their ranks to trick them into the invasion. In days, the wedding venue owner from Arizona was transformed into the center of a conspiracy to entrap Trump supporters, and given a starring role in Tucker Carlson’s nightly conspiracies. It wasn’t Donald Trump who was in charge of the insurrection, said the conspiracy theories, it was Ray Epps.

The finger of blame was directed toward Epps when a picture appearing to show Epps among a group of people charging past a fallen police barricade was posted by the FBI. But Epps failed to be arrested and his picture was later removed. This, according to the Q-cognoscenti, was clear evidence that Epps is “a fed”—a plant slipped in amongst the unsuspecting sheep of Trump supporters to lead them astray.

The truth seems to be a whole lot simpler. The FBI talked to Epps. Attorneys for the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 talked to Epps. Neither found any clear evidence that he had been involved in violence, or that he had actually entered the Capitol building on Jan. 6. No video or pictures have subsequently emerged showing Epps inside the Capitol.

snip//

From the president of the Oath Keepers to an outcast shunned as an FBI operative, Epps is, if nothing else, a sterling example of how willing Trump supporters are to eat their own if that’s what it takes to keep the conspiracies alive.

[underpants]

1. So, this one guy, made all of them do it.

One guy, who THEY were chatting “Fed! Fed! Fed!” at.

Of course these groups were infiltrated. I’d hope they were. That’s how the plan to kidnap the Governor of Michigan was foiled (after an insider tip).

[TheRealNorth]

2. The question is whether he is willingly taking one for the team....

To maintain the RWNJ narrative, or are his fellow oaf keepers actually hunting him?

In some ways, Faux News are like Fairy Tales and I am not sure if even the Faux News audience actually believes the shit, but they like to repeat the stories to feel good about themselves.

[Torchlight]

3. Their idiot narratives mutate more quickly than covid.

1. They were patriots protecting the integrity of the vote.

2. They were antifa pretending to be patriots

3. It's all being blown out of proportion by the libs

4. I had nothing to do with it, and I'll thank you for not mentioning it anymore.

5. Let's try number two again, but change antifa to FBI plants.