Newly released video filmed by Nancy Pelosi’s daughter as the events of Jan. 6 unfolded reveals a furious House Speaker admitting that the National Guard should have been called in earlier as the unrest unfolded. However, seeing an opportunity—”never let a serious crisis go to waste,” in the words of former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel—the San Francisco liberal quickly realized that she could use the situation to try to take down then-President Donald Trump.
Advertisement
It’s hard to hear what she’s saying because they’re all wearing those ineffective, virtue-signaling COVID masks, but it’s pretty clear that she does admit, “We have totally failed.” You decide:
“We have totally failed. We need to take some responsibility for not moving to secure…[unintelligble]”
Pelosi was not long on introspection, however, and immediately turned to how she could use this against the president she despised, Donald Trump.
Nancy Pelosi spent the duration of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack focused on ensuring Joe Biden would be certified president as soon as possible. Then she turned her attention to Donald Trump.
“I just feel sick about what he did to the Capitol and the country today,” Pelosi said as she slumped, visibly exhausted, in the back of her SUV in the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 7. “He’s got to pay a price for that.”
Pelosi’s comment was included in about 50 minutes of unaired footage captured by her daughter, filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi, who was at the former speaker’s side at key moments on Jan. 5, 6 and 7 in 2021. POLITICO has reviewed the footage, which HBO turned over this week to the Republican-led House Committee on Administration.
However, many argue that it was Pelosi who was in charge of security at the Capitol that day, not Trump. The Committee on House Administration reported in June:
Advertisement
This video shows Pelosi in a moment of leadership acknowledging that as Speaker of the House it was her responsibility to ensure the safety of Members of Congress that day and every other day. However, Pelosi never publicly took responsibility. Instead, Pelosi created the January 6 Select Committee with the purpose of publicly blaming Donald Trump for her own failures.
They are referring to another video taken by Nancy’s daughter Alexandra in which the then-House Speaker said, “I take responsibility.”
In the aftermath, Pelosi and her cronies discussed who should be fired for the security failure—Capitol Police officials, Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, anybody but themselves. But then she honed in on her real target:
“Typical Trump,” [former House Majority Leader Steny] Hoyer piped in [commenting on Trump’s statement about the protests].
After a beat, Pelosi said: “Insurrection. That’s a crime, and he’s guilty of it.”
Of course, Trump’s statement said, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.” Hardly a call for an “insurrection.”
Advertisement
Pelosi in recent weeks has shown herself once again to be one of the nastiest and most vindictive politicians in Washington, D.C. She summarily chucked Joe Biden to the sidelines, and although I have no soft spot for possibly the worst president in our nation’s history, the cold-bloodedness of her coup was still startling to behold.
She will continue to blame others for the breach of the Capitol on that day—but will she ever answer for her own failures? Years ago, a friend worked for a book publisher, and one of the notes they would make while editing was “TTDT.” What’s it stand for?
“Tend to doubt that.” A perfect summation.