Topline
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) handed over 41,000 hours of security tapes from the deadly January 6, 2021 Capitol riots to Fox News host Tucker Carlson, a network spokesperson confirmed to Forbes, as Carlson seeks to further his narrative severely downplaying the event.
Tucker Carlson has his hands on thousands of hours of security tapes from the Capitol riots.
Key Facts
Producers for Carlson are poring over the footage and plan to roll out selected clips over the next few weeks, sources close to McCarthy told Axios.
A Fox News representative confirmed to Forbes the network had access to the tapes but declined to offer any further details beyond the Axios report, while McCarthy’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Carlson claimed to Axios the newly released footage will “reveal..what actually happened on January 6,” hinting it will be the latest in a series of Carlson-produced media pushing a distorted view of the insurrection, backing President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud.
Several figures aligned with the far-right firebrand Carlson celebrated the news on social media, such as Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr., who called it “awesome,” and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who tweeted, “Here you go!”
Key Background
At least five people died as a result of the insurrection. In a June 2022 column, Carlson characterized the riots as “an outbreak of mob violence, a forgettably minor outbreak by recent standards.” Carlson has repeatedly railed against the House panel investigating the insurrection and lawmakers’ role in the events. McCarthy became Speaker of the House last month after a historic vote that took 15 rounds thanks to a group of ultra-conservative Republican legislators who took issue with McCarthy’s comparatively moderate views. Carlson actually backed the pushback against McCarthy, calling the dissent “refreshing” and blasting McCarthy for being “ideologically agnostic.”
Surprising Fact
Carlson referred to election fraud claims pushed by Trump and his cronies as “absurd” and “insane” in texts revealed in court filings last week.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/02/20/speaker-mccarthy-gives-tucker-carlson-41000-hours-of-jan-6-footage/