House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Fox News host Tucker Carlson have been met with criticism from both parties for providing Carlson exclusive access to thousands of hours of unaired footage from the Capitol riot of Jan. 2021, 6 June 2021. U.S. U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said Carlson's show was "filled with offensive and misleading conclusions," with former vice president Mike Pence calling the events a "disgrace."
In response to the criticism, McCarthy said that he would start with a "slow roll out" of the tapes to other news outlets to ensure transparency. He also defended his decision to give Carlson exclusive access, claiming there should be "equal justice" across the country in response to the unrest after police misconduct and brutality.
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D. ) expressed his regret over the exclusive access, saying he believes transparency is the best way to go, but wishes the footage was released at the same time to everyone. He also expressed his frustration that the Jan. The 6 incident is still at the forefront of the lawmakers' conversations rather than pressing issues such as the southern border, China, inflation and the budget.
The Justice Department revealed recently that more than 999 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and D.C. About half had pleaded guilty in connection to the riot. The siege led to at least seven deaths resulting in assaults on at least 174 police officers and causing more than $2.7 billion in losses according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office.
McCarthy and Carlson's decision to provide exclusive access to Capitol Riot footage and their portrayal of the events as peaceful has been widely criticized. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C. ) said on CNN's "State of the Union" that "every media outlet, every defense attorney" should have access to the video that McCarthy made available to Carlson and that "there was violence on that day. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell echoed these sentiments, holding a copy of Manger's memo in front of reporters and stating: "I will associate myself completely with the opinion of the Chief of the Capitol Police on what happened on January 6th."
The Capitol riot has become a source of intense debate, with many arguing for transparency and equal justice in response to Jan. 2021, 6 June 2021.