Magaziner Condemns Speaker McCarthy’s Decision to Hand Over Sensitive Jan. 6 Tapes to TV Personality with History of Promoting Conspiracy Theories
Magaziner Condemns Speaker McCarthy’s Decision to Hand Over Sensitive Jan. 6 Tapes to TV Personality with History of Promoting Conspiracy Theories
Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02), the lead Democrat on the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, condemned the reckless decision by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to grant Fox News personality Tucker Carlson exclusive access to thousands of hours of Capitol Police security footage from the day of the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Speaker McCarthy’s decision – which was made without proper coordination with Capitol Police – is a deeply irresponsible move that could provide opportunities for hostile nations, terrorist organizations and domestic extremists to threaten the Capitol, the people inside it, and the continuity of American government in the future.
“Elected officials have a sacred duty to protect our Capitol and our democracy from those who wish our nation harm,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner. “While we still do not know exactly what information Speaker McCarthy has made available to Tucker Carlson, we do know that the footage in question could include sensitive information such as the tactics Capitol Police use to secure the Capitol and the methods of evacuating key personnel in the event of an attack. If this information were to fall into the wrong hands, our nation’s security could be in grave risk. The fact that Speaker McCarthy may be providing unredacted footage to Tucker Carlson, a media personality who regularly promotes false conspiracy theories and pro-Putin propaganda is all the more disturbing. I will continue to work with my colleagues who care about the security of our nation and integrity of our democracy to learn what if any sensitive information has been released by Speaker McCarthy and to encourage him to mitigate any potential fallout.”
While many hours of Capitol security footage from January 6th have been made available to the public, the Capitol Police and other law enforcement and national security experts have repeatedly cautioned that the release of certain types of security footage could impede the security of the Capitol in the future.
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