The FBI and Justice Department are investigating controversial provocateurs Alex Jones and Roger Stone, the Washington Post reported on Friday. Though not necessarily indicative of an indictment, the move by investigators suggests that federal officials look into possible avenues to take on extremism and its more violent elements.
Federal officers' effort is likely to examine the way Jones and Stone affected the mindset of those who stormed the capitol. Indeed, officials speaking with the Post explained the investigation would primarily examine the role of Jones' and Stones' rhetoric in inspiring the January 6th attack. However, that does not guarantee that the two politicos are free from potential legal backlash.
Ali Alexander, one of the Jan. 6 event's organizers, is also under investigation, and Talking Points Memo reports that he, much like Stone, was quick to take credit for organizing the event before it went sour. All three of the men peddled election fraud conspiracies, making them persons of interest for the FBI.
Still, Jones has been careful to distance himself from the violence, albeit with some moments of contradictory behavior, possibly protecting him from any criminal liability. During the riot, Jones was recorded urging protesters not to engage in violence despite his previously hostile rhetoric, saying, "Let’s not fight the police and give the system what they want..." The shift in rhetoric is considerable. The day before the riot, however, Jones had been calling for resistance to the supposed election theft, saying, " I don’t know how all this is all going to end, but if they want to fight, they better believe they’ve got one!" Whatever Jones' legal culpability may be, federal officials are almost certainly going to be watching him.
Stone is likely to be of particular interest due to his involvement with numerous far-Right groups, specifically the Oath Keepers. The Oath Keepers, which is listed as an antigovernment extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, have had many of its members arrested and charged for their insurrection involvement. ABC News has previously released video evidence showing Stone marching alongside Oath Keepers on Jan. 6. The New York Times reported that 6 of the Oath Keepers who guarded Stone were directly involved with the capitol's storming. Even with these connections, the possibility of Stone facing chargers is entirely hypothetical. Unless some form of legal nexus is established between Stone and the Oath Keepers' criminal behavior, Stone's fate remains entirely up in the air.
Still, with the FBI and Justice Department's newfound interest in them, it is almost guaranteed that government will begin to act against these violent groups. That is, of course, assuming the Biden administration is willing to go all the way.