The morning after the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was intensely focused on removing then-President Donald Trump from office.
CNN reported that newly revealed documentary footage offers a detailed glimpse into her decision-making process and real-time reactions as she navigated the aftermath of one of the darkest days in American history.
The footage, captured by Pelosi’s daughter, Alexandra Pelosi, shows Nancy Pelosi quickly exploiting the protest to push for removing Trump from office.
The footage, which was turned over to Congress by HBO and obtained by CNN, covers Pelosi’s actions on January 5, 6, and 7, 2021.
It provides an unprecedented look at how Pelosi led the Democrat movement to demonize and vilify Trump for a situation he himself had tried to prevent.
As the dust began to settle on January 6, Pelosi made it clear that her primary focus was on holding Trump "accountable," or in other words removing the Democrat Party's greatest enemy.
In one scene, Pelosi tells her team, "I think our focus has to be on the president. Let’s not divert ourselves."
The newly released footage also shows Pelosi’s reaction to the resignation of Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund. While reviewing her opening remarks draft with Drew Hammill, Pelosi stressed that the focus should remain squarely on Trump.
"I don’t want to have it on par with the insurrection and impeachment and the rest of that," she said, emphasizing her desire to prioritize the president’s actions over other issues.
The footage captured by Alexandra Pelosi, who has a history of releasing documentaries on HBO, reveals some of the most intense moments of those days.
On January 6, as the chaos unfolded, Pelosi expressed her disbelief at the lack of preparedness and the delayed response from the National Guard.
"How many times did the members ask, ‘Are we prepared? Are we prepared?’ We’re not prepared for the worst. We’re calling the National Guard, now? It should’ve been here to start out. I just don’t understand it," she said, questioning the decision-making of those responsible for Capitol security.
Pelosi’s frustration extended to the broader handling of the situation. On January 7, she criticized Sund, saying, "I’ve never liked Sund. I think he should have been gone a long time ago."
However, these remarks ignore the fact that Pelosi was the one who refused offers from Trump to deploy the National Guard ahead of the protest.
This footage is further proof that the riot only happened because of Pelosi refusing to call in the National Guard and creating circumstances for a riot that they would use to impeach Trump.
On January 7, she and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, which would have allowed for Trump’s removal from office. When Pence did not act, Pelosi and Schumer quickly shifted gears and began pursuing impeachment.
In the footage, Pelosi said "I just feel sick what he did to the Capitol and to the country today. He’s gotta pay a price for that," showing just how committed Pelosi was to the lie considering how she refused to secure the Capitol.
Republicans have seized on the newly revealed footage to question the actions of the Democratic-led January 6 committee, arguing that it was biased against Trump. GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk is currently leading a Republican investigation into the January 6 attack and the committee’s actions, attempting to absolve Trump of blame.
The footage has also fueled ongoing legal battles. Special counsel Jack Smith recently filed a revised indictment against Trump, keeping the fight over the January 6 events alive in the courts.
As these legal and political battles continue, the new footage is a good reminder that the January 6th protest is nothing but a cudgel that Democrats made in order to get rid of Trump.
