The American people deserve answers about the notorious provocateur
Posted BY: Kelen McBreen
Julie Kelly, a senior writer at American Greatness, recently spoke with a January 6th defendant about his interaction with the suspected government-linked provocateur Ray Epps.
According to Jan. 6 defendant Ryan Samsel, Epps told him not to “pull” on a barrier being used by police and whispered into his ear, “I’ve got people. We have to push through.”
Exclusive: I spoke with Ryan Samsel, the J6 protester at the first exterior breach of the Capitol.
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) June 6, 2023
Ray Epps whispered something to Samsel before he helped knock down a barrier.
“[Epps] said to me, ‘Don’t pull. I’ve got people. We have to push through.’” https://t.co/yBsVCxSICj
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Watch Epps whispering into Samsel’s ear in the video below:
Also featured in the above video is the moment Samsel helped a female U.S. Capitol officer who had fallen to the ground get back on her feet.

Samsel’s account differs from a New York Times report where Epps said he told the FBI tip line he was trying to “de-escalate the situation” when he whispered into the man’s ear.
Epps repeated the claim he was de-escalating when he was interviewed by the January 6 Select Committee last year.
“OK, you know, that’s not why we’re here,” Epps reportedly told Samsel. “You’ve got to be peaceful… it’s not what we’re about.”
The Times also reported that during Samsel’s initial FBI interview, he told investigators Epps had asked him to “relax” because the “cops are doing their job.”
However, according to Kelly’s conversation with Samsel, Epps told him, “Don’t pull. I’ve got people. We have to push through.”
Samsel has been in jail since January 30, 2021, despite never being convicted of a crime.
Kelly claimed the Justice Department is “intentionally delaying Samsel’s trial,” to protect Epps from being outed and Samsel agreed, saying, “[Prosecutors] are protecting him like crazy.”
According to Samsel, government officials have pressured him to deny Epps instigated protesters and that they asked him to lie and falsely allege Proud Boys member Joseph Biggs was carrying a gun on January 6th.
Samsel was charged with seven counts in relation to Jan. 6th in August 2021 and his trial has been repeatedly postponed by the Biden DOJ.
As Kelly accurately noted, “Samsel’s new trial date is October 23—which means he will have been behind bars for nearly three years before he has an opportunity to defend himself before a jury.”
Meanwhile, Epps remains a free man thanks to the protection of the entire government and media establishment despite the fact he texted his nephew he “orchestrated” the January 6th surge initiating the takeover of the Capitol building.
The unfair and often illegal treatment of many Jan. 6 defendants continues to expose the Democrats’ two-tiered justice system where their political opponents have the book thrown at them while repeating offenders in liberal cities are constantly given a slap on the wrist by far-left prosecutors and judges.