Tucker Carlson Shows Capitol Footage From Jan. 6 To Downplay Riot: ‘They Were Tourists’

Tucker Carlson aired the first clips of US Capitol surveillance footage on Monday, January 6, and the Fox News anchor spent much of the time using clips to downplay the attack on the US Capitol and cast doubt on the 2020 declare presidential election.

Carlson heavily promoted the footage, claiming it disproved the commission’s Jan. 6 findings and even proved its members were lying. But for much of the hour, Carlson tried to rehash, with a good dose of hype, the story of the day’s violence and mayhem.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy granted Carlson exclusive access to about 40,000 hours of Capitol surveillance footage, much to the dismay of committee members who worried the Fox host was spreading conspiracy theories about the attack.

Carlson showed footage of protesters moving through the Capitol corridors to claim that “the videotape” actually “destroys” the idea that “January 6th was a riot.”

While he said there were “thugs” who caused mayhem, the “overwhelming majority” were non-violent.

“They were not insurgents. They were tourists. Images from inside the Capitol disprove the story you heard about Jan. 6,” Carlson said.

But Carlson didn’t talk about the widespread injury and destruction of the Capitol that day. Capitol Police reported that 114 officers were injured, one officer died from complications of a stroke, and four died by suicide. TV viewers watching live that day were able to see for themselves what was happening, with footage of the mob trying to break through the House’s doors, or footage of a gallows and noose being set up on the Capitol grounds. Video shown during the committee’s Jan. 6 hearings showed people in the crowd shouting, “Hang Mike Pence!” More than 1,000 people have been charged with crimes related to the attack and more than 350 have been convicted.

Carlson began his show by justifying the mob’s presence at the Capitol that day.

“The protesters were angry,” Carlson told viewers. “They believed the election they had just voted for was unfair. You were right. In retrospect, it is clear that the 2020 election was a grave betrayal of American democracy. Given the facts that have come to light since these elections, no honest person can dispute that.”

Carlson’s continued efforts to challenge the election come as Fox News faces a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, while hosts and guests have repeated allegations that the company favors the results produced by Joe Biden was manipulated. The company’s most recent lawsuits include text messages and emails from Fox anchors and executives expressing doubt and disbelief about Donald Trump’s claims that the election was fraudulent, as well as concerns about a backlash from supporters of the then-president. In a text after the election, Carlson himself wrote to his producers that Trump is the best at breaking things. In this he is the undisputed champion. He can easily destroy us if we play wrong.”

Carlson also showed footage of Jacob Chansley, the so-called “QAnon shaman,” being escorted through the Capitol corridors with Capitol Police officers. “None of them tried to slow him down,” Carlson said. But according to to politics, this footage was available to Chansley in his case, but he eventually pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal proceeding, a misdemeanor, in a deal with prosecutors. He was sentenced to 41 months in prison.

And it showed footage of Agent Brian Sicknick, who died the day after the riot in the Capitol. The New York Times initially reported that Sicknick had been hit by a fire extinguisher while fighting with rioters, but later updated the reporting based on the District of Columbia coroner’s findings that he died of natural causes.

However, Carlson made it sound like the media is still trying to claim that Sicknick died of blunt force trauma. He showed footage he said was taken by Sicknick after dealing with the mob outside the Capitol. “It appears that Sicknick is healthy and vital,” Carlson said, adding, “Whatever happened to Brian Sicknick was clearly not the result of any violence he suffered at the Capitol entrance.”

Sicknick suffered two strokes after being sprayed with a chemical, according to the findings of the District of Columbia coroner, according to FactCheck.org. But the coroner said “everything that happened played a part in his condition.”

Carlson also turned to a clip that went viral from the Jan. 6 hearings of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) raising his fist in support of Capitol protesters and running from the room as the crowd approached. The Fox host tried to claim the clip was “fraudulently edited” by the Jan. 6 committee, as there is also footage of other lawmakers trying to get out. But the committee has never claimed that Hawley was the only lawmaker to escape the chamber. Adam Kinzinger, one of the committee members, replied: “Yes. There were many people from that day. Because of, you know, the violence and stuff. Including Josh Hawley.

Carlson was responsible for the Fox Nation documentary Patriotic Purification, who claimed that the attack on the Capitol was a “false flag” operation. Fox’s decision to air the documentary series led to the firing of two longtime contributors, Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes.

McCarthy provided the footage to Carlson, to the outrage of Senate and House Democratic leaders, while major media outlets demanded their own ability to run the footage.

However, Carlson shot it differently. He tried to argue that the opposition to McCarthy’s move was an attempt to suppress the footage – “The Democratic Party and its media allies blocked you from seeing it.” But much of the consternation over McCarthy’s move is his decision to give the Fox host exclusive access to the material.