S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, which he described as "mostly peaceful chaos.".
Carlson's segment on his weeknight program aimed to dispute the "deadly insurrection" narrative propagated by many in the media and political establishment.
"Very little about January 6 was organized or violent. Surveillance video from inside the Capitol shows mostly peaceful chaos," Carlson asserted.
March 07, 2023
The footage showed individuals wandering through the Capitol without vandalizing or clashing with police officers. "QAnon Shaman" Jacob Chansley was also seen being followed by officers without being stopped. However, documents in connection with Chansley's plea agreement admitting that he entered the building through a broken door.
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However, other widely circulated footage from January 6 shows rioters assaulting officers, breaking windows, and vandalizing the building as they roamed through the halls. Carlson downplayed these aspects, leading to criticism from Democrats and pundits who claim that the footage could threaten Capitol security procedures and amplify conspiracy theories.
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Carlson also suggested that federal agents helped incite the violence on January 6, though he provided no evidence to support this theory. He has previously called for releasing the full January 6 security footage and criticized Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who ultimately granted Carlson's team access to the footage.
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Rep. Bennie Thompson (Miss.), the former chairman of the January 6 panel and the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, accused McCarthy of a "dereliction of duty" for giving Carlson "carte blanche access to sensitive U.S. Capitol security surveillance footage from one of the darkest days in the history of our democracy."
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Carlson said his producers had "unfettered access" to the Capitol surveillance video and that neither the Speaker's office nor his bosses at Fox News interfered with their review of the footage.
Most of the more than 40,000 hours of tape were "irrelevant" views of empty rooms, he said. Capitol Police reviewed the footage shown on air, and Carlson said their reservations were "minor" and "reasonable."
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As McCarthy faced GOP opposition that threatened to derail his Speakership election at the start of the year, Carlson had suggested that he pledge to release the full January 6 security footage online. He charged that members of the January 6 Select House Committee lied about what they saw on the security footage.
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"Whatever you think of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, he rectified that crime, and we're grateful that he did," he said.
While Carlson's airing of the footage drew criticism from many, he remains unapologetic and has promised to show more clips during his show. His segment is part of a larger effort by conservatives to reshape the narrative surrounding the Jan. 6 attack and challenge the media's coverage of the event.