A slate of news organizations is calling on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to release a trove of surveillance footage that was recorded during the Jan. 6 riot just days after it was reported the Republican leader would grant exclusive access to Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Attorney Charles Tobin wrote a letter to McCarthy on Friday on behalf of at least 10 news outlets, demanding access to the footage and arguing it should be made available to other outside groups as well. The letter comes in response to McCarthy handing over 41,000 hours of surveillance footage to Carlson’s crew, which includes camera access from several angles on the Capitol grounds during the riot.
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“Without full public access to the complete historical record, there is concern that an ideologically-based narrative of an already polarizing event will take hold in the public consciousness, with destabilizing risks to the legitimacy of Congress, the Capitol Police, and the various federal investigations and prosecutions of Jan. 6 crimes,” Tobin wrote.
Several news outlets have joined in to demand access, including the Washington Post, the New York Times, Politico, the Associated Press, NBC News, CNN, Axios, and others. McCarthy previously said he plans to release the footage more widely after Carlson’s crew is done sifting through it, although it’s not clear how long that may take.
A separate group of news outlets wrote another letter to McCarthy requesting the materials, seeking access to the 44,000 hours of footage being shared with Carlson that is expected to be released on his show over the coming weeks.
“There is no basis for further delaying granting this access — to these News Organizations or any other media outlets that make similar requests,” wrote Laura Handman, a lawyer representing the second coalition of news outlets.
It’s not clear whether McCarthy will release the footage to the outlets before Carlson’s crew is finished examining it, and the House speaker has not yet responded to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner.
McCarthy’s decision came after Republican lawmakers pushed the party leader to release the footage for weeks. News of the decision prompted an outcry among congressional Democrats, with several calling the move dangerous to national security.
“Giving someone as disingenuous as Tucker Carlson exclusive access to this type of sensitive information is a grave mistake by Speaker McCarthy that will only embolden supporters of the Big Lie and weaken faith in our democracy,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wrote in a letter on Wednesday. “Let me be clear, the Senate strongly objects to the release of this sensitive security footage to Tucker Carlson and Fox News. The speaker — nor any elected official — does not have the right to jeopardize the safety of senators nor Senate and Capitol staff for their own political purposes. Period.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also took aim at Carlson for downplaying the severity of the Jan. 6 attack, accusing the Fox News host of promoting pro-Russian propaganda.
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It’s not clear whether the two Democratic leaders would support releasing the footage to other news outlets. The Washington Examiner contacted both Schumer’s and Jeffries’s offices for comment but has not yet received responses.
McCarthy defended his decision to release footage to Carlson earlier this week, noting the exchange fulfills a pledge he made during his bid for House speaker. He also argued the release was important to ensure a transparent investigation into the Capitol riot.
