House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said he has “no indication” that Capitol Police screened the Jan. 6 footage that Fox News host Tucker Carlson says he is planning to air, casting doubt on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) statement that all footage will be vetted before being released.
“I have no indication at this moment that the police have vetted that footage,” Jeffries said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It is my hope and expectation that that will absolutely occur.”
Jeffries’ Sunday remarks come shortly after McCarthy responded to days of staunch criticism from Democrats, telling reporters last week that none of the footage will be released to Carlson’s team or be broadcasted publicly before it is screened by the Capitol Police to make sure it doesn’t compromise the security of the Capitol building.
Carlson — who spent months airing conspiracy theories about the legitimacy of the 2020 elections and the Capitol attack itself — has what he described on his show as “unfettered,” exclusive access to more than 40,000 hours of unreleased surveillance tape from Jan. 6. And Democrats have been arguing that allowing full access to an outside party like Carlson could create security risks for the Capitol and the people who work there.
Jeffries echoed that sentiment and stressed Sunday the footage “must absolutely be vetted” before it is made public.
“The Jan. 6 insurrection was violent. Approximately 140 officers were seriously injured. A handful of officers died as a result of the events of the Jan. 6 violent insurrection. There are serious security concerns,” Jeffries added. “We’re releasing footage into the public domain in an era where political violence is on the rise, and there are people, including the former president, who fan the flames of extremism.”
