New Jan. 6 footage reveals Pelosi's focus on Trump in hours after insurrection
CTV
The morning after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was clear: She wanted attention to be on getting Donald Trump out of office.
The morning after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi was clear: She wanted attention to be on getting Donald Trump out of office.
While in the car on her way to the Capitol, Pelosi’s senior aide, Drew Hammill, was reading the speaker a draft of her opening remarks over the phone, including a call for the resignation of U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund. Pelosi stopped him.
“I think our focus has to be on the president. Let’s not divert ourselves,” Pelosi said, according to documentary footage shot by her daughter, Alexandra Pelosi, which was turned over to Congress by HBO and obtained by CNN.
When Hammill told her the press was focused on the police chief, Pelosi responded: “I don’t want to have it on par with the insurrection and impeachment and the rest of that.”
Alexandra Pelosi has for decades released documentaries on HBO, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery – the parent company of CNN. Pelosi’s documentary on her mother was released in 2022.
The newly revealed video offers an even more detailed look at the speaker’s movements and real-time reaction to the attack on the Capitol. The latest batch of footage turned over to Congress includes shots of Nancy Pelosi on Jan. 5, 6 and 7, including her exit from the Capitol and evacuation to Fort McNair.
The footage is the latest reminder that, nearly four years later, the history of Jan. 6 is still being fought over. Republicans on Capitol Hill have previously released footage shot by Alexandra Pelosi, as well as security video, as they’ve tried to undercut the Democratic-led Jan. 6 committee, absolve Trump of blame and try to instead blame Pelosi for the security failures that led to the breach of the Capitol.
