Media Organizations Sue DOJ For Jan. 6 Tapes McCarthy Gave Fox’sTucker Carlson—But No One Else

Topline

A group of media organizations, including CNN, the New York Times and the Associated Press, sued the Justice Department and the FBI for access to the January 6 footage House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) gave to Fox News host Tucker Carlson in February, as McCarthy has yet to make good on his promise to release the tapes to the public.

Key Facts

Key Background

Carlson’s widely criticized coverage sought to downplay the severity of the riots—which led to several deaths and injuries of approximately 114 police officers—when he aired the tapes in March, claiming they do “not show an insurrection or a riot in progress.” Carlson featured footage showing Jacob Chansley, known as the “QAnon Shaman” walking through the halls of the Capitol next to law enforcement officers, while alleging that police were “escorting people through the building.” He also equated the rioters to peaceful “sightseers” and said they were “right” to believe “that the election they had just voted in had been unfairly conducted.”

Chief Critic

Carlson’s characterization of the tapes prompted bipartisan backlash from federal lawmakers. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said equating the insurrection to a protest is “just a lie” and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) called Carlson’s framing “bulls—t,” CNN reported. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also delivered a scathing rebuke of the segment from the Senate floor the day after it aired, calling it “one of the most shameful hours we have ever seen on cable television.”

Contra

McCarthy has said he does not regret releasing the footage, arguing he gave the tapes to Fox in the name of “transparency,” he told reporters amid criticism from his fellow Republicans, while claiming he didn’t watch Carlson’s segment. “What I wanted to produce for everybody is exactly what I said. The people could actually look at it and see what’s gone on that day,” he said. McCarthy vowed in February to release the tapes to “everyone,” but did not provide a timeline for when they might be made public.

Tangent

Former President Donald Trump sat for his first post-arraignment interview with Carlson on Tuesday night in an hour-long segment where he claimed his indictment in Manhattan criminal court would help his third campaign for the White House. Trump—who pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with what prosecutors said was a broad hush-money scheme to cover up three affair allegations—vowed to stay in the presidential race even if he’s convicted. The interview comes after Carlson’s private text messages, in which he said he “passionately” hates Trump and disputed his election fraud claims, were made public last month in court papers filed by Dominion Voting Systems in its $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News

Further Reading

Tucker Carlson’s January 6 Segment Draws Bipartisan Outrage: ‘One Of The Most Shameful Hours We Have Ever Seen On Cable TV’ (Forbes)

Tucker Carlson Doubles Down On 2020 Election Fraud Claims With Jan. 6 Footage Despite Fox Defamation Lawsuit (Forbes)

Speaker McCarthy Gives Tucker Carlson 41,000 Hours Of Jan. 6 Footage (Forbes)