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As every major news outlet – except one – last week was focused on the nearly 200-page court document detailing text messages and other communications from Fox News top hosts and even Rupert Murdoch admitting Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” was a lie while they continued to promote it for ratings, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was handing over to top Fox News propagandist Tucker Carlson tens of thousands of hours of U.S. Capitol security camera footage from the January 6 insurrection.
And now, he’s fundraising off his efforts that could endanger not only the Capitol Police, but every person work works in the Capitol Building, every lawmakers, every aide, and every person who visits.
“Patriot, you deserve the facts – all of the facts. I promised I would give you the truth regarding January 6th, and now I am delivering. I have released the full 44,000 hours of uncut camera surveillance footage, McCarthy says in a fundraising email posted by Bloomberg’s Emily Wilkins.
His claim is at best inaccurate. He did not “release” the footage, he haded it over to one man — not even to just one network, but one man, Tucker Carlson, who will use it on his Fox News cable show, his Fox Nation streaming show, and his radio show. “Releasing” the footage would have been allowing more than one news entity access to it.
“It is in the public interest to know everything that happened that day – not just the narrative that Pelosi’s partisan committee wanted you to see ahead of the 2022 midterm elections,” McCarthy says. “We made a Commitment to America – a commitment to YOU – when we asked for your vote last fall. A commitment to ALL of America requires truth and transparency over partisan games. Now, we are delivering. Would you consider chipping in $25, $50, or $100 to help House Republicans keep delivering on our commitments to America?”
McCarthy fundraising off of giving Tucker Carlson access to 1/6 Surveillance tapes pic.twitter.com/raptge3F5C
— Emily Wilkins (@emrwilkins) February 22, 2023
McCarthy isn’t just fundraising off the footage, he used the promise of releasing it to get elected Speaker.
“During the multi-day stalemate last month,” when the House voted 15 times before electing McCarthy Speaker, writes The Daily Beast’s Justin Baragona. “Tucker Carlson told the ‘Never Kevin’ holdouts that McCarthy shouldn’t be speaker unless he agreed to release all the video footage from the Jan. 6 insurrection. Three days later, McCarthy finally got the votes.”
Handing the footage over to Carlson, a propagandist is so dangerous the Capitol Police are reportedly trying to quash it.
Politico, citing a source, on Tuesday reported Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger “told associates he didn’t learn of the arrangement between McCarthy and Carlson until it began publicly circulating Monday. Capitol Police have been extremely reluctant to share large swaths of their security footage, citing potential risks to lawmakers, aides and officers tasked with protecting the building.”
House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland also was not told of the deal with Carlson.
And while Politico claims “Any move to send Carlson or his associates those video files may require approval from the Capitol Police Board,” it appears Carlson’s team already has been poring over it for the past week.
How did that happen?
U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), Chair of the House Administration Committee, “requested Capitol Police set up a terminal to view the footage in late Jan.,” according to CNN’s Annie Grayer. “At some point unbeknownst to Cap. Police, Speaker Kevin McCarthy gave Carlson access to the terminal.”
That could have national security implications well into the future.
Democrats in the House and Senate are furious.
“Kevin McCarthy undermines security on Capitol Hill – in ways officials say could endanger the safety of Capitol Police officers – to feed January 6 footage to a propagandist who downplayed the attack on the Capitol. Now McCarthy is using that to raise money. Absolutely appalling,” says U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA).
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday in a “Dear Colleague” letter blasted McCarthy’s “egregious” act. And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday issued a separate “Dear Colleague” letter warning that McCarthy was “needlessly exposing the Capitol complex to one of the worst security risks since 9/11.”
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