The Capitol police chief denounced Tucker Carlson’s characterization of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, calling the Fox News host’s conclusions “insulting and misleading.”
In an internal memo, boss Thomas Manger wrote: “The show was skilfully plucked from the calmer moments of our 41,000 hours of video. The commentary does not provide context to the chaos and violence that occurred before or during these less tense moments .”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy gave Carlson and his associates access to more than 40,000 hours of surveillance footage beginning Jan. 6. Story of what happened that day.
On his show, Carlson used footage of protesters wandering the Capitol corridors to downplay the attack.
“They were not insurgents. They were tourists. Images from inside the Capitol disprove the story you heard about Jan. 6,” Carlson said.
In his letter, Manger wrote that “It is a false accusation that our agents assisted the rioters and acted as ‘leaders’.” This is rude and wrong. The department supports the officers in the video shown last night. I don’t need to remind you how few our agents were on January 6th. These officers did their best to use decalcification tactics to try to convince rioters to get each other out of the building.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also criticized Carlson and presented Manger’s letter for approval.
“My concern is how it was portrayed … In my opinion, the Capitol Police Chief describes exactly what most of us saw firsthand on January 6th … It was a mistake by Fox News to portray it that way. “Completely contradicts what our chief law enforcement officer in the Capitol thinks.
Other Republicans, including Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), told CNN they also disagreed with Carlson’s characterization. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) called it “police.”
Carlson plans to show additional footage Tuesday night. A spokesperson for the network did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Manger also cited Carlson’s comments about Officer Brian Sicknick, who died the day after the attack. The Fox News host shared footage he said showed Sicknick entering the Capitol after fighting rioters outside. Carlson said, “It appears that Sicknick is healthy and vital,” adding that “whatever happened to Brian Sicknick was clearly not the result of violence he suffered at the Capitol entrance.”
“The department contends, as anyone in their right mind would, that Officer Sicknick would not have died the next day had Officer Sicknick not fought valiantly for hours on the day he was violently assaulted,” Manger wrote. The District of Columbia coroner said he died of natural causes, but said that “everything that happened played a role in his condition.”
He added: “TV commentary will not record the truth for the history books. The justice system will Truth and justice are on our side.”
Sicknick’s family also issued a statement Condemnation of Carlson’s comments.
Others also interfered. Historian Ken Burns called Carlson’s characterization of the attacks “rewriting history at its most dangerous level. She is a tremendous threat to our republic.”
On the floor of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Carlson called the show “one of the most embarrassing things we’ve seen on cable television.” He said Carlson “disregarded the facts, ignored the risks and knew full well that he was lying, lying to his audience.”
He tried to disagree [the January 6th attack] was nothing more than a silent city tour. Can you imagine that? A non-violent protest. A beautiful and appropriate example of people expressing their opinions. I, so many others who were here at the Capitol, and millions and millions of others are just mad at Tucker Carlson and Kevin McCarthy today.
On his show, Carlson tried to argue that the mainstream media tried to prevent the release of the January 6 footage and distorted his efforts at transparency. A number of news organizations even encouraged McCarthy to release images to other media outlets.
There is more to come.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
