Capitol Rioter Tucker Suggested Was Secretly Law Enforcement Turns Out to Be Tucker-Watching Sports Mascot

Far-right Fox News host Tucker Carlson has repeatedly downplayed the deadly failed insurrection of January 6, when a mob of pro-Trump extremists stormed the United States Capitol in hopes of stopping the joint congressional session certifying then-President-elect Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election victory.

Carlson even promoted a conspiracy theory that the insurrection was orchestrated by federal agents in an effort to limit political expression.

This past Monday, Carlson promoted this delusion yet again for his "Patriot Purge" series, using a picture of a man in a red MAGA cap, asking why he hadn't been charged, suggesting the man was secretly a law enforcement officer.

But a new report from Ryan J. Reilly of HuffPost revealed the man isn't a fed at all, but an amateur mascot who's a big fan of Carlson's show.

Though his real name has yet to be revealed, the man is known as "Rally Runner" to fans of the St. Louis Cardinals fans. He's built up a following for running outside of Busch Stadium during the team's games. Reilly's report also reveals that Rally Runner's Facebook indicates he's a "huge Tucker Carlson fan."

Reilly asked Joseph McBride—an attorney for multiple Capitol rioters and a key figure in Carlson's Patriot Purge series who also claimed Rally Runner was a federal agent—about these revelations.

McBride initially doubled down on this delusion, before saying:

“If I’m wrong, so be it, bro. I don’t care. I don’t give a s**t about being wrong.”

The news made waves on social media.

Carlson and his disinformation was a major focus of the discussion.

The House Select Committee on January 6 is still investigating the origins of the riots.