Ex-Capitol Police Officer Reveals How He Decided Jan. 6 Was a 'Set-Up'

A former U.S. Capitol Police officer spoke about the January 6 riots on social media this week, explaining how he had decided that it was a "set-up."

In a post to X, formerly Twitter, Tarik Johnson, an ex-police officer, explained that he plans to block people on the social media platform if they attempt to discredit information he's planning to release about the January 6 Capitol riots.

"I know there are people here on X who are going to be actively trying to discredit me to support the position that another investigation is not needed," he wrote on X. "After J6 first occurred I drank the Mainstream Media Koolaid and believed J6 was an insurrection but as more and more facts were revealed my position changed.

"I now believe J6 was a set-up and that an enormous size cover-up ensued after to hide the facts. I'm not asking anyone to believe me. All I want to do is show you how I arrived at how I view J6 now. God bless."

Supporters of former President Donald Trump protested the 2020 election results outside of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Many of them eventually entered the Capitol illegally as an attempt to stop the certification of votes by Congress, and hundreds of have since been arrested and some charged with sedition and trespassing. Many individuals accused in the incident have been sentenced to jail.

Over the past several days, Johnson has continued to post messages on X.

"I spoke to my lawyer and I told him what my plans are as it relates to releasing information on X about the J6 set-up and the cover-up that ensued after," he wrote on November 30. "I wanted to see what if any legal ramifications I'd be facing when I do. He stated he didn't see any and if something arose we would deal with it together.

"I'm not doing this for any financial gain now or in the future but for the reasons I listed above by order of the God I serve. I am a LION and I will protect my cubs. In this case they are EVERYONE in the J6 community as you were set-up and that should not have happened to you even if you did wrong things that day."

Newsweek reached out to the Capitol Police via email and Johnson via social media for comment.

Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund made comments similar to Johnson's in a leaked interview with Tucker Carlson, in which he said: "This didn't have to happen. Everything appears to be a cover-up."