Fox News host Tucker Carlson stirred up controversy this week by releasing never-before-seen footage of the January 6 Capitol protests. The footage, which showed protestors inside the Capitol appearing more as sightseers than as violent “insurrectionists,” contradicted the last two years of the mainstream media’s portrayal of the event.
The release of the footage led to outrage from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who called on Fox News to prevent Carlson from airing more footage from January 6, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as well as Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Mitt Romney (R-UT), who expressed their outrage over the coverage.
Tucker blasts DC uniparty after Chuck Schumer and McConnell call for his censorship over release of J6 tapes
"They're all on the same side!… Here you have people with shared interests. The open borders people. The people like Mitch McConnell who are living in splendor on… https://t.co/JsdKhGMtCz pic.twitter.com/lTj06Pet8K
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 8, 2023
Carlson responded to the criticism by accusing Schumer and McConnell of being on the same side and protecting their shared interests, such as the open borders agenda and living off Chinese money. Carlson also accused Schumer of lying to the American people for the last 26 months and accused the Senate Majority Leader and his allies of trying to protect their interests by calling for footage censorship.
In another segment of his show, Carlson sat down with Tarik Johnson, a former Capitol Police officer who the House January 6 Select Committee ignored despite his pivotal role that day. Johnson, a 22-year veteran of the Capitol Hill force, was tasked with securing the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Yet, despite pleas for help on January 6, Johnson said he did not hear anything, not even from Capitol Police chief assistant Yogananda Pittman, who allegedly kept important information about the protests from him.
Johnson, who was suspended and later resigned from the force after being spotted outside the Capitol wearing a Make America Great Again hat, said he wondered why the January 6 Committee never called him to testify. Carlson asked Johnson about his thoughts on the committee’s job. Johnson responded that the focus was on President Trump and not the failures of the Capitol Police.
The release of the footage and Carlson’s interview with Johnson highlight the ongoing debate over the January 6 Capitol riot and the role of the Capitol Police in the event. While the corporate media and establishment politicians have argued that the riot was a violent attack on democracy, others have pointed out that the footage shows a different narrative, with Trump supporters appearing non-violent. In addition, some police officers appear in the footage not to take the alleged threat seriously.
The exclusion of Johnson from the select committee also raises questions about its motives and whether it was genuinely interested in uncovering the truth about what happened on January 6 or used the event for political gain.
