Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday called on Fox News executives to prevent Tucker Carlson from airing any more previously suppressed footage of the January 6 riot.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) gave Carlson access to thousands of hours of Capitol security video, some of which shattered the official “insurrection” narrative and provided potentially exculpatory evidence in the case of Jacob Chansley, the so-called “QAnon shaman.”
Schumer took to the Senate floor Tuesday morning to give an angry and indignant speech denouncing Carlson for broadcasting the previously unseen footage of “that terrible, fearful day.”
“Last night, millions of Americans tuned into one of the most shameful hours we’ve ever seen on cable television,” Schumer lamented.
Schumer blasted Carlson for depicting the “violent insurrection” as a “peaceful sightseeing tour.”
“With contempt for the facts, disregard for the risks, and knowing full well he was lying—lying to his audience—Fox News host Tucker Carlson ran a lengthy segment last night arguing the January 6 Capitol attack was not a violent insurrection,” Schumer complained.
The senator accused Carlson of “diving deep into the waters of conspiracy” and “cherry-picking” from the thousands of hours of January 6 footage. Some of the new video featured on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Monday revealed however that the partisan January 6 Committee used “cherry-picked” footage to further a false narrative.
One such clip featured Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) seemingly running out of the Capitol building all by himself. It was used by the committee to paint Hawley as a hypocrite who ran away like a coward when the “insurrectionists” breeched the Capitol. In fact, as the unedited footage shows, Hawley was among dozens of lawmakers who was hurried out of the building at the time.
“The surveillance footage we reviewed shows that famous clip was a sham, edited deceptively by the January 6th Committee,” Carlson declared. “In fact, Hawley was at the back of the pack,” Carlson added. “The coward tape was a lie—one of many from the January 6th Committee.”
The Josh Hawley Coward Tape Proves to Be a Lie After Further Review from the @TuckerCarlson Team
"The surveillance footage we reviewed shows that famous clip was a sham, edited deceptively by the January 6th Committee. The clip was propaganda, not evidence. The actual videotape… pic.twitter.com/DDf4j1rEwx
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) March 7, 2023
Regardless, Schumer continued to chastise Carlson for countering the official narrative about January 6.
“Mr. Carlson told the boldfaced lie that the Capitol attack, which we all saw with our own eyes was somehow, not an attack at all,” the senator complained. “He tried to argue that it was nothing more than a peaceful sight-seeing tour… can you imagine?”
“I and so many others who were in the Capitol and millions and millions of Americans are just furious at Tucker Carson and Kevin McCarthy today,” Schumer fumed. The majority leader said that the lives of staffers, colleagues, reporters, police and countless others were “put in danger” by the Trump protesters.
“To say January 6 was not violent is a lie—a lie pure and simple,” Schumer argued, adding ominously that Carlson is “going to come back tonight with another segment.”
“Fox News should tell him not to. Fox News, Rupert Murdock: tell Carlson not to run a second segment of lies. You know it’s a lie!” Schumer declared.
Schumer also slammed the “treacherous” House Speaker, saying McCarthy is “every bit as culpable” for giving Carlson the Capitol security footage. “It looked like a mistake from the very beginning, but after last night, it looked like a disaster,” he fretted.
“He has enabled the Big Lie and eroded away at our precious Democracy,” Schumer intoned, referring to the widespread belief that the 2020 election was rigged. “What a low point for Speaker McCarthy,” he scolded. “What a low point for Fox News.”
Schumer called on all Americans to “call out Mr. Carlson and take a stand and call out Mr. Carlson’s conduct for what it is: a dangerous, unforgivable attempt to destabilize our Democracy and rewrite the worst attack on our Constitution since the Civil War.”
The Democrat added that Carlson’s airing of the censored footage was an insult to the officers who defended the Capitol that day, and especially Brian Sicknick, who died of a stroke the day after the riot.
As American Greatness’ Julie Kelly reported, “the media, Justice Department, leading Democrats, and the January 6 select committee claim Sicknick died as a result of scuffles with protesters that afternoon. But Carslon played a never-before-seen video of Sicknick walking around the inside of the building after the alleged attack where he appears to be healthy.”
Schumer attempted to shame Fox News for allowing footage that contradicts the official false narrative to be aired.
“Nonviolent? Ask the Sicknick family,” he declared. “It makes me sick thinking about what his family must be going through this morning.”
The senator said the airing of the new footage was an insult to “everyone who cares about our Democracy and wishes to preserve the dream of our founders in our age, in our day.”
Schumer said every senator should “call out Fox News and Mr. Carlson for defending the insurrectionists.”
“I am disappointed and angered by Speaker McCarthy’s decision to share sensitive security footage with Mr. Carlson,” he proclaimed. “I condemn Mr. Carlson for defending the enemies of Democracy. I strongly condemn Speaker McCarthy’s actions and fiercely oppose his decision.”
Schumer concluded his remarks by once again urging Fox News “to order Tucker Carlson to cease propagating the Big Lie on his network and to level with their viewers about the truth!”
They're Freaking Out Big Time
Senator Schumer Went Down To The Senate Floor This Morning To
-Condemn Tucker Carlson's January 6th Tapes Segment Last Night
-Call For Fox News And Rupert Murdoch To Stop Tucker Carlson From Releasing Another Report On The January 6th Tapes… pic.twitter.com/e3z3YBwTFR— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) March 7, 2023
Update:
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters Monday afternoon that it was a “mistake” for Carlson to show the previously censored January 6 footage.
McConnell said it was a "mistake" for Tucker Carlson to show January 6 footage that the government fought to keep hidden. pic.twitter.com/6BMvmJIrpg
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 7, 2023
The RINO senator from Utah also weighed in:
More Romney on Carlson:
"He's joining a range of shock jocks that that are disappointing America and feeding falsehoods"
"I think it's a very dangerous thing to do to suggest that attacking the Capitol of the United States is in any way acceptable"
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) March 7, 2023