Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, spread baseless conspiracy theories that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was carried out by leftist groups. Hegseth’s claims lack credible evidence to support them.

The allegations have been debunked by multiple sources. Critics argue that such conspiracy theories threaten the integrity of the investigation. According to CNN, Hengseth’s comments came during an interview four days after the riot, during which he “downplayed the violence, defended the rioters’ motivations, and criticized the media for rejecting baseless claims of a stolen election.”