In January 2021, Reuters reported that Tarrio had been an informant to both federal and local law enforcement between 2012 and 2014. This report contributed to rifts within the Proud Boys. In the aftermath of the January 2021 United States Capitol attack, chapters of the organization split with the national group. Several chapters across three states pointed to Tarrio's past as an informant as a reason for their splintering from the national organization. The Oklahoma chapter also split from the national group because of Tarrio, blaming his "failure to take disciplinary measures [which] have jeopardized our brothers safety and the integrity of our brotherhood". Tarrio himself did not participate in the storming of the Capitol, having been arrested two days earlier in Washington, D.C., and ordered to stay away from the city. Later, he said he would neither "support" nor "condemn" the attack and did not "sympathize" with lawmakers.