Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Monday afternoon claimed that “all” January 6 detainees will be given access to over 41,000 hours of Capitol security footage, which may contain evidence that could exonerate them.
The Georgia Congresswoman and staunch ally of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made the claims after Axios reported that McCarthy gave Fox News host Tucker Carlson exclusive access to the footage.
“J6 video tapes will also be available for all J6 defendants. All 42,000+ hours. Thank you Speaker McCarthy,” Rep. Greene wrote.
J6 video tapes will also be available for all J6 defendants.
All 42,000+ hours.
Thank you Speaker McCarthy.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) February 20, 2023
Some conservative activists have said that McCarthy’s decision to send the footage to Carlson falls short of his promise to fully release it to the public, as McCarthy had originally told reporters in mid-January of this year that he intended to push the new Republican-controlled Congress to release all of the previously suppressed January 6 security footage for transparency purposes.
When asked if he would support the full release of the footage, Speaker McCarthy replied with a firm “Yes.”
“I think the public should see what has happened on that day. I watched what Nancy Pelosi did where she politicized it, where for the first time in the history as a Speaker, not allowing the minority to appoint to a committee, to pick and choose,” Speaker McCarthy said.
“We watched the politicization of this. I think the American public should actually all see what happened instead of a report that was written for a political basis,” Speaker McCarthy said. “We’re looking through that. I want to be very thoughtful about it, but yes. I’m engaged to do that.”
🚨BREAKING: Speaker McCarthy sends DC in utter PANIC after announcing he wants to release ALL FOOTAGE from January 6th pic.twitter.com/XzkzU0VvM2
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 12, 2023
The security footage, some legal experts have claimed, could be crucial for the legal defenses of January 6 detainees.
In addition to exonerating some of the prisoners, some have speculated that the hidden security footage may reveal actions taken by potentially undercover federal assets, who have been suspected of embedding themselves within the protesting crowds and encouraging, animating, or outright participating in violence that day.
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