Fox News host Tucker Carlson reportedly has access to tens of thousands of hours of footage from the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, thanks to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
Sources informed Axios co-founder Mike Allen that Carlson’s team was in Washington, DC, last week going through some of the footage, and it will begin to roll out on Carlson’s programs in the forthcoming weeks.
The two sides have been communicating on the matter since earlier this month, Allen noted, citing correspondence he has seen. Additionally, the cache reportedly totals a whopping 41,000 hours of footage rather than the 14,000 hours previously reported.
“[T]here was never any legitimate reason for this footage to remain secret,” Carlson told Axios.
“If there was ever a question that’s in the public’s interest to know, it’s what actually happened on January 6. By definition, this video will reveal it. It’s impossible for me to understand why any honest person would be bothered by that,” he added.
McCarthy vowed last month to release the January 6 footage while speaking with reporters, as Breitbart News reported, and the move to grant Carlson access marks a significant step.
When asked on January 12 if he would release the videos, McCarthy told reporters, “I want to be very thoughtful about it, but yes, I’m engaged to do that.”
Speaker McCarthy promises to release all of the security footage from January 6 pic.twitter.com/WgBYhSYRxZ
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 12, 2023
He added:
I think the public should see what happened on that day. I watched what Nancy Pelosi did, where she politicized it. Where for the first time in the history as a Speaker, not allowing the minority to appoint to a committee. We watched the politicization of this. I think the American public should actually see what happened instead of a report that’s written on a political basis.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) told TurningPoint USA founder Charlie Kirk days earlier that McCarthy agreed to release the footage as part of a deal he cut with a bloc of Republican holdouts to get the votes for the speakership.
“Kevin McCarthy told us he’s going to get the evidence out in front of the American people, and that means releasing the 14,000 hours of tapes that have been hidden,” said Gaetz. He added that the videos would “give more full context to that day, rather than the cherry-picked moments that the January 6 committee tried to use to inflame and further divide our country.”
Thank you to the 20 patriots who helped EARN this commitment from the Speaker.
Thank you @SpeakerMcCarthy for affirming this commitment you made.
Keeping promises is how trust is built.
I’m growing more optimistic by the day! https://t.co/uYAaT5sG0f
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) January 12, 2023
He lauded McCarthy after his January 12 pledge, thanking him “for affirming this commitment.”
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