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Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy came under fire from Congressional Democrats for turning over thousands of hours worth of video footage from the January 6 insurrection. McCarthy was accused of compromising the safety of Capitol Police officers and lawmakers by turning over the footage to right-wing network Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
On Wednesday, Congressional Democrats criticized McCarthy for handing Carlson, a known critic of the Jan. 6 Committee investigation into the insurrection, thousands of hours worth of footage from the incident.
Carlson said on Monday that they received the footage from McCarthy that was described by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as “a treasure trove of closely held information” on security at the Capitol complex and plans for the continuity of government in case of an attack.
“The speaker is needlessly exposing the Capitol complex to one of the worst security risks since 9/11,” said Schumer in a letter to fellow senators.
Also on Wednesday, House Democrats held a virtual caucus, according to party leader Hakeem Jeffries. Rep. Bennie Thompson, who chaired the bipartisan Jan. 6 panel, was set to address caucus members at the time.
“When the Select Committee obtained access to US Capitol Police video footage, it was treated with great sensitivity given concerns about the security of lawmakers, staff, and the Capitol complex,” said Thompson in a statement. Thompson noted that access to the footage was limited to lawmakers and “a small handful of investigators” as well as senior staff.
Supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed into the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to derail Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory after Trump repeatedly claimed the election was stolen due to voter fraud. The Justice Department’s investigation into the insurrection and the efforts by Trump to overturn the 2020 elections continues under Special Counsel Jack Smith.
A DOJ attorney has urged a federal appeals court on Thursday not to block investigators’ access to GOP Congressman Scott Perry’s phone. Perry, who has helped spread false claims of voter fraud, has sought to block the DOJ from accessing the contents of his phone since it was seized last year.
