Representative Nancy Pelosi reportedly scolded a reporter on Wednesday who asked her about her actions during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, the New York Post reports. The 85-year-old California Democrat was leaving the Capitol, holding an aide’s hand for support, when the reporter pressed her on claims that she had refused National Guard assistance the day of the attack.
Pelosi, appearing visibly frustrated, turned and snapped, “Shut up!” before sharply replying that she never rejected National Guard help. “I did not refuse the National Guard. The president didn’t send it. Why are you coming here with Republican talking points as if you are a serious journalist?” she said.
The exchange comes as a new Republican-led congressional committee investigates the security failures surrounding the January 6 riot, with some suggesting Pelosi could bear partial responsibility. A 2022 GOP report noted that several Democratic leaders were hesitant to bring in National Guard troops at the time, citing concerns over the “optics” following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
Previously released footage, filmed by Pelosi’s daughter Alexandra for an HBO documentary, also captured the former House Speaker acknowledging shortcomings in Capitol security on that day. At one point Pelosi says, “We have totally failed. We have to take some responsibility for not holding the security accountable for what could have happened,” later adding, “Oh my god, I cannot believe the stupidity of this. And I take the full responsibility.”
At another moment in the footage, Pelosi scolds a senior aide who asks, amid the chaos, whether they should summon the National Guard, The Post reports.
“You’re gonna ask me in the middle of the thing, when they’ve already breached the inaugural stuff, ‘Should we call the Capitol Police?’ I mean the National Guard. Why weren’t the National Guard there to begin with?” Pelosi said.
When the aide explained that the National Guard believed they had “sufficient resources,” the then-House Speaker shot back: “It’s not a question of how they had … they don’t know! They clearly didn’t know, and I take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more.”
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) is heading a new select subcommittee within the House Judiciary Committee, assigned to reexamine the events of the Capitol riot.
“The American people deserve a complete and accurate account of the security failures that occurred on January 6, so this level of security failure never happens again,” Loudermilk said, noting that “Republicans will continue to pursue the facts in an objective manner no matter where they lead.”
The encounter on Capitol Hill underscores the renewed political friction over January 6 as both parties continue to clash over who bears ultimate responsibility for the security lapses that allowed the riot to occur.