A Strange Twist in the Story of the Proud Boys

Enrique Tarrio, the chairman of the far-right White nationalist group, was cooperating with law enforcement all along

Amy Shearn
Momentum

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Photo: John Rudoff/Getty Images

In recent years, the Proud Boys have become key players in America’s racist political tableau, and honestly, they keep getting weirder. A White supremacist organization founded by an erstwhile media hipster? Huh. That organization playing a key role in the Capitol riot on January 6? Double huh.

The latest wrinkle is the revelation that, according to the New York Times, Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio has been an informant to the police and the FBI, helping to convict more than a dozen people over the years. It’s unclear whether Tarrio, who is part of the FBI’s inquiry into the Capitol attack, has continued to cooperate with law enforcement.

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Amy Shearn
Momentum

Formerly: Editor of Creators Hub, Human Parts // Ongoingly: Novelist, Essayist, Person