Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson has come under fire from Republicans after describing the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol as “mostly peaceful mayhem.”
On Monday, the 53-year-old Conservative released security footage of the riots, which he was given exclusive access to by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last month.
Mr Carlson told his audience that other media reports lied about the attack, proclaiming that most of the rioters were peaceful, calling them “tourists” and not “insurrectionists”.
“The footage does not show an insurrection or riot taking place,” he said. Instead it shows police escorting people through the building, including the now infamous QAnon Shaman.”
In reaction, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, among others, said it was a “mistake for Fox News to represent [the riots] in this way”.
Speaking at a press conference, McConnell sided with Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger, who denounced Carlson for spreading “offensive and misleading conclusions” about the insurrection.
Other Republicans, including Sen. Thom Tillis, also commented, calling the remarks “bull ****,” according to NBC.
Senator Mitt Romney added, “You can’t hide the truth by selectively selecting a few minutes from the tapes and saying this is what happened. It’s so absurd. It doesn’t make sense.”
QAnon Shaman – Jacob Chansley – was among the first to storm the building
photo: AP
photo: AP
Nearly 1,000 people have been charged in connection with the attack on the Capitol. About 140 officers were assaulted, with only 60 people pleading guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers.
Mr Carlson received 44,000 hours of security video from Mr McCarthy when he was struggling to collect Vote to win the election for US presidentwhich went to the 15th round of voting due to splits in the Republican Party.
Kevin McCarthy. PIC: AP
The clips promoted the former president Donald Trump’s story that the riots – in which five people died – were “mere protests” that “got out of hand”.
Mr. Carlson also claimed on his show that Democrats lied about the Death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick – who suffered two strokes and died of natural causes the day after the event.
In a video played on Fox News, Mr. Sicknick was seen walking inside the Capitol after mobs attacked him. “They knew he wasn’t murdered by the mob, but they claimed it anyway,” Carlson said.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called Carlson’s actions “a dangerous and inexcusable attempt to destabilize our democracy and rewrite the history of the worst attack on our constitution since the Civil War.”
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Police Chief Steven Sund: Capitol riots could happen again
He added that Mr McCarthy was “just as guilty as Mr Carlson” by providing the popular news channel with thousands of hours of footage.
A Fox News spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
