A man filmed urging people to enter the Capitol ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot is preparing to sue Fox News after it repeatedly broadcast a conspiracy theory that he was secretly working as a government agent. Ray Epps, who also called for calm during the attack and never actually entered the Capitol himself, has been at the center of right-wing conspiracies because he has not yet been criminally charged. Some conservative media figures including Tucker Carlson have pushed the idea that the lack of charges is evidence that Epps is being protected by the state. Epps and his wife, Robyn, left their home in Arizona and have lived in hiding after allegedly receiving death threats from people who believe the conspiracy theory. “We informed Fox in March that if they did not issue a formal on-air apology that we would pursue all available avenues to protect the Eppses’ rights,” Michael Teter, a lawyer for Epps, told The New York Times. “That remains our intent.” He said he began preparing a lawsuit after Fox did not reply to his written request for an on-air retraction and apology.
