Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) yelled at a reporter who asked her about her part in the security failings during the Capitol riots on January 6. The intense argument, which was caught on film and published widely on social media, showed Pelosi clearly upset by the idea that she was to blame for stopping the National Guard from being deployed.
The fight happened while an aide was helping the 85-year-old down the steps of the Capitol Building. On January 6, LindellTV reporter Alison Steinberg asked Pelosi why she “refused the National Guard.” This is a subject that Republicans routinely bring up as a criticism.
Pelosi was clearly angry at the idea that a new Republican-led committee may find her “liable.” She turned around and pointed her finger right at the reporter’s face.
“Stop it!” Pelosi asked. “I didn’t turn down the National Guard. It wasn’t sent by the president. Why are you acting like a professional journalist and bringing up Republican talking points?
Later, Steinberg tweeted about the conversation on X, saying, “Nancy Pelosi just told me to ‘SHUT UP’!” Please leave a comment below about how you think this happened. “Coming soon: footage. Stay tuned.”
The Ongoing Debate About National Guard Deployment
The reporter’s inquiry brings up a long-standing disagreement between Democrats and Republicans on how well security was set up for the attack on January 6, 2021. Pelosi and the Democrats have always blamed then-President Donald Trump for not sending the National Guard, but Republicans say the delay was because the Democratic leadership was worried.
House Republicans released video recorded by Pelosi’s daughter Alexandra for an HBO documentary last year, which brought the issue back into the spotlight. Pelosi was heard saying that she was to blame for the lack of National Guard troops in the video, which was part of a 45-minute submission to the House Administration oversight panel, which is controlled by the GOP.
As they drove away from the Capitol, Pelosi talked to her chief of staff, Terri McCullough, and said, “We have responsibility, Terri.” We didn’t have to answer for what was going on there, but we should have. “This is crazy.”
She seemed to be upset with McCullough for asking her during the incident if they should contact the National Guard: “You’re going to ask me in the middle of the situation, when they’ve already broken the inaugural stuff, ‘should we call the Capitol Police? I mean the National Guard. Why wasn’t the National Guard there in the first place?
McCullough said that officials “thought they had enough resources.” Pelosi didn’t believe this and took the blame for not being ready: “It’s not a question of how they had… they don’t know!” I take the blame for not making them get ready for more, because they clearly didn’t know.
In 2022, House Republicans said that Democratic leaders were also anxious about how it would look to send National Guard troops to the Capitol after the Black Lives Matter rallies in 2020. The Chief of Capitol Police, the House and Senate Sergeant at Arms, and the Chief of Capitol Police all quit a few days after the violence.