Fox News host Tucker Carlson revealed new details about the Jan. 6 Capitol storming during his show Monday, airing some of the roughly 40,000 hours of security camera footage recently obtained from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Carlson described the footage as debunking Democrat narratives about what took place that day, showcasing less violent activity than is typically discussed and describing it as “mostly peaceful chaos.” He claimed that one video “overturns the single most powerful and politically useful lie” about Jan. 6 – that protesters killed Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick.
Saying the protesters in the Capitol were largely “not insurrectionists – they were sightseers,” Carlson played clips of some appearing to give each other tours of the facility, pick up informational material, and take selfies.
Other footage focused on the so-called “QAnon Shaman,” a protester named Jacob Chansley who became notorious for walking the Senate floor in his antler-and-fur headdress. The footage, which does not have audio, appears to show police officers guiding Chansley through the Capitol, even attempting to open a door for him, but not stopping or arresting him.
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Carlson also described footage as showing Sicknick, the deceased Capitol Police officer, “healthy and vigorous” after he was supposed to have suffered grave injuries during the event. Capitol Police have stated that Sicknick collapsed after returning to his division office and then was taken to a hospital, where he died the following day.
Sicknick died after suffering two strokes. A medical examiner ruled his death natural, while adding that “all that transpired played a role in his condition,” as reported by the Wall Street Journal. A protester, Julian Khater, was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to spraying Sicknick and other officers in the face with pepper spray.
Carlson said his producers had “unfettered access” to the thousands of hours of footage obtained from Speaker McCarthy, and they pinpointed relevant moments using “advanced mapping software” on Capitol computers.
He said Capitol Police reviewed the footage for security concerns, but the agency told The Hill on Monday they were only given one clip.
In an internal message to officers, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger blasted Carlson, alleging that his coverage has “offensive and misleading conclusions.”
“The commentary fails to provide context about the chaos and violence that happened before or during these less tense moments,” Manger wrote, accusing Carlson of having “cherry-picked” video clips.
