Photo: Alamy
Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was captured on video admitting “responsibility” for her role in the January 6 events, footage shows.
In a newly released video provided to congressional investigators by HBO, the former House Speaker is seen being recorded by her daughter Alexandra on Jan. 6. The video was intended for a documentary. Pelosi could be heard upset about the lack of “accountability” while appearing to be driven away from the Capitol in an SUV.
“We have responsibility, Terri! We did not have any accountability for what was going on there, and we should have. This is ridiculous!” Pelosi said at the time.
“You’re gonna ask me in the middle of the thing, when they’ve already breached the inaugural stuff, ‘should we call the Capitol Police?’ I mean the National Guard. Why weren’t the National Guard there to begin with?” she questioned.
“They thought that they had sufficient resources …” Pelosi’s Chief of Staff, Terri McCullough, replied.
“It’s not a question of how they had … they don’t know! They clearly didn’t know, and I take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more,” Pelosi responded.
The estimated 45-minute additional footage was handed over to Congress, showing extensive conversations between lawmakers while exiting the Capitol on Jan. 6, according to Politico.
However, while Pelosi had questioned the whereabouts of the National Guard, the former House Speaker had been part of a group of Democrats involved in security decisions prior to Jan. 6.
At the time, Democratic leaders reportedly were concerned over the “optics” of having the National Guard due to riots from Black Lives Matter activists, according to a report released by Republican lawmakers.
“When Speaker Pelosi made the unprecedented decision to reject Jim Banks and Jim Jordan from sitting on the January 6 Select Committee – we knew she intended to play politics instead of addressing the massive security failures that led to that day,” wrote Republican Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Troy Nehls of Texas, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, and Rodney Davis of Illinois.