A tweet reads, “….Breaking News…Jim Jordon… just announced that RAY EPPS just flipped and will testify against FBI involvement on Jan/06…..watch as they now start to testify against each other-OMG.” The News Literacy Project has added a label that says, “BASELESS CLAIM.”

#JimJordan

#RayEpps

#Jan6

#ConspiratorialThinking

#SheerAssertion

A tweet reads, “….Breaking News…Jim Jordon… just announced that RAY EPPS just flipped and will testify against FBI involvement on Jan/06…..watch as they now start to testify against each other-OMG.” The News Literacy Project has added a label that says, “BASELESS CLAIM.”

#JimJordan

#RayEpps

#Jan6

#ConspiratorialThinking

#SheerAssertion

Baseless claim that Jan. 6 rioter ‘flipped’ against the FBI circulates on Twitter

A misspelled name, a purchased Twitter check mark, and a lack of supporting evidence are just a few of the red flags indicating that this claim about Ray Epps, an Arizona man who took part in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and who has been the target of conspiracy theories, is false. Let’s look at the facts.

Quick Look

  • No

    As of March 15, Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, who has claimed that whistleblowers contacted him about politicization within the Department of Justice, has not made any announcements that Epps is “flipping” and will testify against the FBI.

  • Yes

    Epps, a Trump supporter, has been the subject of a wide range of conspiratorial claims based on his role in the violence, including that he was a federal informant who helped start the riot.

The Takeaway

A social media post that strongly aligns with one’s political beliefs or desires — in this case, a message perpetuating the conspiratorial and untrue claim that the attack on the Capitol was organized by the government — can easily gain traction online as confirmation bias leads people to like and share the post. But a quick evaluation of these tweets often reveals red flags indicating these messages may not be worth engaging with.

For example:

  • BREAKING NEWS”: This term is often abused by purveyors of misinformation to give their claims an unearned air of importance.
  • JIM JORDON”: While typos happen, poor grammar and misspelled names may indicate a source is unreliable.
  • NO SOURCE: This tweet does not contain any links or evidence to support its claim, an example of a sheer assertion.
  • PURCHASED VERIFICATION: Clicking on this person’s profile revealed that their check mark was purchased through Twitter Blue, the platform’s subscription service. While this blue check mark once verified that a news organization or poster was credible, it’s now possible for bad actors to misuse it to make content feel verified. Approach accounts displaying the symbol with caution.

Also, even a brief search for “Ray Epps” and “Jim Jordan” would quickly debunk this claim and explain the history of conspiratorial theories surrounding Epps.

The 5 Factors

We’ve determined that this viral rumor is misleading or false based on its failure to pass the following credibility factors. Please note that these factors do not represent degrees of falsehood. A post that fails a single factor is generally just as false as a post that fails all five.

Snapshot

  • Source

  • Evidence

  • Reasoning

  • Authenticity
  • Context
Source

Has it been posted or confirmed by a credible source?

No.

This tweet is not breaking news and did not originate from an official source or from a standards-based news organization.

Evidence

Is there evidence that proves the claim?

No.

There is no evidence to support this claim. Jordan did not make any such announcement on his website, social media accounts or during TV appearances.

Reasoning

Is it based on solid reasoning?

No.

Conspiratorial claims that attempt to shift blame for the Jan. 6 attack have become a common partisan tactic. There is no evidence that anyone associated with the government helped instigate the attack.

Authenticity

Is it authentic?

N/A

Context

Is the context accurate?

N/A