Authored by Ken Silva via Headline USA,

The Justice Department has blamed an FBI informant for deleting video he took during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill uprising—footage that was sought by a Jan. 6 protestor as part of his criminal defense.

Proud Boys members Zachary Rehl, left, and Ethan Nordean, left, walk toward the U.S. Capitol. / PHOTO: AP

The DOJ’s disclosure about the FBI informant’s missing video came in a Thursday court filing in its case against Jan. 6 protestor William Pope, who’s representing himself. Pope sought footage taken by FBI informant and ex-Proud Boys member James Ehren Knowles of him entering the Capitol.

Pope initially requested the footage from the DOJ in February, and prosecutors eventually said on Sept. 17 that no such footage exists. Three days later, Pope filed his own response, explaining that the footage from must exist—because Knowles was seen on CCTV footage recording as he entered the Capitol, and because Knowles testified during last year’s Proud Boys trial that he indeed recorded.

The government just responded to the Court’s order in my case regarding whether FBI Informant James Ehren Knowles deleted video he recorded inside the Capitol on January 6. According to the government, he did. https://t.co/T7qBYcUlL4 pic.twitter.com/1yiHVu8cuJ

— 🇺🇸 (@FreeStateWill) October 10, 2024

“The question … is not then whether Knowles was filming (Knowles admitted under oath that he was) but whether the government has met their obligation to obtain the recordings made by their FBI informant, James Ehren Knowles,” Pope said.

“Since Knowles swore under oath that the FBI flashed a copy of his phone, the government has media Knowles recorded on January 6, and also has the ability to determine whether any media was copied or deleted from Knowles’ phone before the FBI flashed it.”

Pope further noted that Knowles testified last year that he doesn’t recall whether he gave the video he took to the FBI.

“It’s possible that Knowles gave the FBI the video, but does not recall. It’s also possible that Knowles retained his own copy, but did not provide it to the FBI. A third possibility is that FBI informant James Knowles deleted evidence that is material to my case,” Pope argued.

Pope’s blistering response prompted District Judge Rudolph Contreras to order the DOJ last week to tell the court whether “it believes Knowles deleted such alleged video and, if so, whether Plaintiff has the capacity to retrieve such data from the purported mirror-image copy of his phone taken by the FBI.”

Responding to the judge’s order on Wednesday, the DOJ claimed that Knowles deleted the footage.

According to the DOJ, the FBI has reviewed Knowles’ phone again, and hasn’t found any footage of him entering the Capitol.

“Based on the Individual’s testimony, his statements to the FBI, and a review of the full image of his cellphone, the government believes that [Knowles] did delete images and/or videos that he recorded on January 6,” prosecutors said, adding that it’s “unclear” whether the footage Pope sought would have been useful to him.

Pope’s trial is set for Dec. 2.

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.