The FBI under the Biden administration paid more than $150,000 to members of the “Sedition Hunters,” a group of tech sleuths with anti-Trump leanings and known foreign ties, to help identify suspects in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the Arctic Frost investigation, memos reviewed by Just the News show.
Some informants used facial recognition and spyware to locate American citizens for potential arrest. Payments included $20,000 in summer 2023, approved by a deputy to then-Special Counsel Jack Smith, for video analysis linking Trump supporters at the Ellipse speech to the Capitol riot. FBI officials said all supervisors involved have been dismissed and are conducting an audit to ensure no others were missed.
The arrangement raises concerns that bureau policies on informant bias, foreign influence, and secrecy may have been violated. Sedition Hunters openly acknowledged assisting the FBI online, despite confidential human sources typically required to remain secret. Their tools included facial recognition apps, Capitol riot maps, and databases of suspects.
FBI Director Kash Patel told Just the News he plans to work with Congress to create safeguards against similar entanglements in the future.
