Wikipedia hilariously labels Enrique Tarrio “a convicted American seditionist and far-right activist” and calls the Proud Boys, which he led from 2018 to 2021, “ a neo-fascist organization that promotes and engages in political violence…”

Why is this hilarious? Just compare it with how Wikipedia describes Black Lives Matter, a truly seditious group with openly communist aims. Wikipedia describes BLM as

[A] decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people and to promote anti-racism… Despite being characterized by opponents as violent the overwhelming majority of BLM demonstrations have been peaceful.

In fact, BLM-led or inspired riots led to at least 26 deaths.

Right. The contrast is simply astonishing, but that’s what happens when the legacy media speak.

In fact, my short interaction with Enrique Tarrio revealed a thoughtful, temperate man who found himself on Radio Row at CPAC 2025 surrounded by numerous news cameras and reporters, many of whom were asking questions. He took a few minutes to talk with me (see video below).

My first question was, “Do you think J6 was a setup?” (Full disclosure: my latest book, Manufactured Crisis, includes a chapter titled J6 Was Not an Insurrection, where I argue that the available facts indisputably prove that it was a setup.) You can watch his response in the accompanying video. 

Where things became even more interesting was one an unnamed man to Tarrio’s right inserted himself into the conversation, accusing Tarrio of being an FBI plant. Tarrio admitted working undercover to aid law enforcement before joining the Proud Boys, where he helped convict people of “drugs, gambling and human smuggling.”

At this point, Richard Barnett, famed as the man with his feet on Nancy Pelosi’s desk, jumped in to say that the interloper was a liar—although he, too, acknowledged Tarrio’s past role as an FBI informant. He suspected that the interloper was an Antifa agitator, saying that there were several CPAC.

When I asked Barnett if he thought that J6 was a set-up, he agreed, and told me that he’d just been on stage with Steve Bannon discussing the same issue. He also said there will be an investigation.

These are the kinds of impromptu conversations that are a regular feature of CPAC.

James Simpson is an economist, businessman, investigative journalist and author. His latest book is Manufactured Crisis: The War to End America. Follow Jim on X & Facebook.