Written by Johnathan Miller.
The House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight recently released previously hidden footage showing then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi taking responsibility for the events of January 6, 2021. This footage, captured by Pelosi’s daughter, documentarian Alexandra Pelosi, and provided to congressional investigators by HBO, sheds new light on Pelosi’s actions that day.
In the video, Pelosi is seen speaking to her chief of staff, Terri McCullough, while they ride in an SUV heading to Fort McNair. “We have responsibility, Terri. We did not have any accountability for what was going on in there, and we should have,” Pelosi admits. She questioned why the National Guard wasn’t deployed earlier, stating, “They clearly didn’t know, and I take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more.”
National Guard Deployment Controversy
Earlier this year, interview transcripts revealed by the Jan. 6 Committee included statements from former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato. Ornato testified that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows explicitly offered D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser the National Guard deployment. “‘[Trump is] willing to ask for 10,000,'” Ornato quoted Meadows’s conversation with Bowser. However, Bowser declined, opting to deploy only a few hundred individuals.
Additional reports from Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and DC National Guard leader Maj. Gen. William Walker indicated that Army Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt (ret.), the Army Staff Director on Jan. 6, delayed or ignored Sund’s request for National Guard support. These delays contributed to the chaos and hindered timely response efforts.
Whistleblowers Testify on Pentagon Delays
In April, four whistleblowers testified about how Pentagon officials obstructed their prompt response to the Capitol Hill uprising. Their testimony highlighted a three-hour and 19-minute delay from the time National Guard support was requested to their actual deployment.
The whistleblowers’ accounts suggest top Pentagon officials failed to execute President Donald Trump’s authorization for at least 10,000 National Guard members to be ready to assist on Jan. 6. This failure significantly impacted the ability to control the violence and protect the Capitol.
Our Take
The newly released footage and subsequent testimonies reveal significant lapses in preparedness and response on January 6. Nancy Pelosi’s admission of responsibility, coupled with the documented delays in National Guard deployment, point to a breakdown in leadership and coordination at multiple levels. This situation raises critical questions about accountability and the effectiveness of emergency response protocols. Ensuring such failures are not repeated is essential for maintaining public trust and national security.
Since January 6, 2021, Nancy Pelosi spent 3+ years and nearly $20 million creating a narrative to blame Donald Trump.
NEW FOOTAGE shows on January 6, Pelosi ADMITTED:
“I take responsibility.”
WATCH: pic.twitter.com/95a0totTWB
— Oversight Subcommittee (@OversightAdmn) June 10, 2024
