House Committee Releases Pelosi Conversation on Jan. 6

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Facts

  • US House Republicans have released never-before-seen footage of high-ranking congressional leaders during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots. The footage, provided by HBO, was taken by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calf.) daughter, documentarian Alexandra Pelosi.1
  • One clip appears to show Pelosi talking to her chief of staff while evacuating the Capitol. She can be heard saying she 'did not have any accountability for what was going on' but 'should have.' She further questioned why the 'National Guard' wasn't 'there to begin with.'2
  • When her chief of staff said, 'They thought that they had sufficient resources,' Pelosi responded, 'They clearly didn’t know, and I take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more.'3
  • Another clip appears to show Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) telling then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy that the Department of Defense had 'denied' a request to deploy the National Guard, later stating, 'All right. I spoke to [McCarthy], and he’s given the full OK to give the National Guard.'4
  • During his phone call with Schumer, McCarthy said he 'never said no' to using the Guard, but that he had to 'get permission' and 'talk to my boss.' Former National Guard members have testified that then-Pres. Donald Trump could've hastened the deployment of troops.1
  • Schumer can also be heard talking about Trump with then-acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen, whom Schumer asked to tell Trump to 'tell them to leave the Capitol.' While Trump had already Tweeted calling for 'peace' and 'law and order,' Schumer suggested Trump send that message in a 'statement.'4

Sources: 1POLITICO.com, 2FOX News, 3New York Post and 4The Hill.

Narratives

  • Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Federalist. Pelosi's apparent regret seems disingenuous given that the then-head of the Capitol police confirmed she had rejected his request for troops days before. Further evidence continues to support Trump's claim that he requested 10K troops ahead of the election certification—but he, too, was denied by House leadership. After years of establishment Democrats and Republicans blaming Trump, it seems they were the ones failing to protect the Capitol.
  • Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by The New Republic. Donald Trump's claim about requesting 10K troops has long been debunked. Not only did he not issue an official order, but by the time he did deploy troops to combat his violent supporters, they had been ransacking the Capitol for five hours. Pelosi and Schumer were understandably confused because they were not in charge of the Army; the president was. Donald Trump summoned the mob and then took his sweet time to force them out of the Capitol.

Predictions