Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) commended House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Sunday for overseeing the much-anticipated release of additional footage from January 6. During an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” McCarthy praised Johnson’s efforts, stating, “Johnson’s doing a tremendous job with that, adding more and more.”
The new speaker recently announced the gradual online disclosure of tens of thousands of hours of video on Friday. McCarthy, who initiated the release of U.S. Capitol security tapes before his removal as speaker last month, highlighted the importance of providing the public with an unfiltered view of the events surrounding the U.S. Capitol breach on January 6, 2021. This move contrasts with the images presented during hearings led by the January 6 Committee when Democrats held the House.
McCarthy granted access to then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who broadcast footage revealing police officers seemingly standing passively as individuals entered the Capitol. Additionally, during his tenure as speaker, the House started providing limited access to other media members and defendants involved in the events of January 6.
“The one thing I had found is, we wanted transparency. So, when we took the majority, [the] first thing I did was make sure those tapes became under the responsibility of House Administration. What we found was, [the] January 6 Committee had lied to us, that there were thousands of more hours of tape,” McCarthy said.
“And the first thing I wanted to make sure is, anybody who was in jail, had the right to a defense was able to see those tapes. So that was the priority,” he added. “The defense was able to go through those. We started bringing press in to be able to see it. We were building a portal where every time the press looked at something and they went through it, the public was able to get it.”
