Congress, Criminal law

“I Take Responsibility”: Pelosi Admits Fault for the Lack of Security Precautions on January 6th

For years, some of us have asked why the Capitol was so poorly prepared for the January 6th riot. As part of the coverage on that day, I remarked at the start of the protests that I had never seen the Capitol so thinly protected for a major demonstration. Some paths to the Capitol were protected by a handful of bicycle officers and thin barriers. Now, a previously-unreleased video taken on Jan. 6, 2021 shows then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., admitting that she was responsible for the lack of preparedness.

The video was disclosed in a posting on X by a House Republican panel.  The video shows Pelosi in an exchange with Chief of Staff Terri McCullough on the evacuation. Pelosi states:

“We have responsibility, Terri. We did not have any accountability for what was going on there. And we should have. This is ridiculous. You’re going to ask me in the middle of the thing when they’ve already breached…that, should we call the Capitol Police? I mean the National Guard? Why weren’t the National Guard there to begin with?…They clearly didn’t know, and I take responsibility for not having them just prepared for more.”

The video was never released by the J6 Committee, which was criticized for its highly choreographed and scripted hearings with little balance in the presentation of evidence. The lack of emphasis on the security issues was glaring and raised by critics throughout the hearings.

While Democrats and the media dismissed the issue and claims that Trump offered to supply the national guard, it was later confirmed that those offers were made to Congress and rejected. A report from Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton also found that Capitol police were told that they could not use critical riot materials and tactics in preparation for the Jan. 6th protests.

What was so curious about the lack of precautions that morning is that the Capitol had just experienced the violence outside of the White House in the Lafayette Park protests.

To this day, the media and many members continue to repeat false accounts of the Lafayette Park. Many still have stories posted that claim that Lafayette Park was cleared for Trump to hold a photo op in front of a church. I discussed those accounts in testimony before Congress and in columns on the clearing of the Lafayette Park area. NPR still has a story on its website entitled “Peaceful Protesters Tear-Gassed To Clear Way For Trump Church Photo-Op.” More officers were injured in the Lafayette Park protests than on January 6th.

As previously discussed in repeated columns, the House Democratic leadership refused to hold a single hearing with key witnesses on what occurred before the riot. After using a “snap impeachment,” weeks went by without calling such witnesses before the Trump impeachment trial. Such evidence would have challenged the narrative and raised questions over decisions made by Congress that left the Capitol vulnerable to such an attack.

In the Lafayette Park protests, White House officials feared that the compound could be breached by violent protesters who had injured dozens of officers and engaged in arson and attacks around the White House during that weekend. They decided to clear the area to install fencing (which Congress only ordered after the Jan. 6th riot). They also deployed the National Guard and the “heavier, less lethal weapons” that the Inspector General found were denied to the Capitol Police.

Had Pelosi and others accepted National Guard support and installed fencing as was done at the White House, it is doubtful that the riot on January 6th would have occurred or any disruption would have been far more limited in scope. The fact that the J6 Committee downplayed this major factor in the riot further undermines how the investigation was framed by the Democratic leadership. Pelosi barred the GOP members selected for the committee, hand picking two anti-Trump Republican members.

The absence of any balance on the committee was evident from the start. There was little effort to present alternative explanations or defenses to critical issues raised in hearings. No opposing witnesses were called who might contradict the narrative put forward by the Committee, including witnesses who would debunk the much-repeated, false claim that Trump wrestled with his driver to gain control of the presidential limo to drive to the Capitol.

With the Speaker admitting on tape that she bore responsibility for the lack of precautions, one would think that the J6 Committee, including then Vice Chair Liz Cheney, would consider that relevant for the public to understand the underlying facts. Instead, it was buried with much other countervailing evidence.

198 thoughts on ““I Take Responsibility”: Pelosi Admits Fault for the Lack of Security Precautions on January 6th”

  1. I distinctly remember George Washington saying that Nancy Pelosi’s failure to provide reinforcements at the Battle of Brandywine was the reason for his defeat, leading directly to the disaster at Valley Forge.

    Nancy Pelosi bears full responsibility for the Valley Forge disaster.

  2. Turley’s seems to think that the capitol police or even congress expected the level of violence and breaching barricades and breaking into the Capitol was supposed to happen.

    The permit for Trump’s rally did not allow for any marching towards the Capitol and organizers of the rally admitted they lied to the Capitol police when they submitted their application for the permit.

    Trump did not do a thing about the violence for hours despite calls from his own supporters inside congress. At least Pelosi admits some responsibility. Trump would never accept any responsibly for anything.

    Trump WANTED the violence to continue and he WANTED his supporters to storm the Capitol. He was going to march with them, but the secret service nixed that idea. That was a good thing for him because if he did he would have definitely been charged with leading an insurrection. He got lucky the SS insisted he go to the White House instead of Marching with the rioters.

    The capitol police had no reason to expect the level of violence it ended up having to deal with. I’m sure now, the protocols are much stricter and anything involving Trump supporters and/or rallies held nearby will be met with heavy law enforcement presence and the NG on standby. They’re not going to let that happen again.

    1. “Turley’s seems to think that the capitol police or even congress expected the level of violence and breaching barricades and breaking into the Capitol was supposed to happen.”

      Let’s assume Turley didn’t think such violence would occur. Trump was aware of this, and that is why he authorized troops.

      Sund was aware of this, and that is why many requests were made.

      Was Pelosi prepared? My guess is things got out of hand more than she desired, but I believe she had a significant part in this “insurrection.” She is guilty and admits it.

      “I TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR NOT HAVING THEM PREPARED”

      What we hear from George is more of the same: ignorance and arrogance. Yesterday, I brought up the same quote, and what did George say? He accused me of not knowing what I was talking about. This is from a fool who has been unwilling and unable to back up his foolish comments.

      1. S. Meyer,

        “Let’s assume Turley didn’t think such violence would occur. Trump was aware of this, and that is why he authorized troops.”

        Yeah, Trump was aware, because he planned it with his supporters. However he didn’t authorize anything.

        “Sund was aware of this, and that is why many requests were made.”

        Who is “Sund”?
        Yeah, many request were made and he ignored them all for hours.

        You still don’t know what you are talking about. Your rambling 5th grade rhetoric is painful to read.

        Do yourself a favor, read to yourself what you write out loud before you post. Perhaps you will come realize how bad it sounds. You make zero sense.

        1. @Moron George:
          “Trump was aware, because he planned it with his supporters. ”

          You continue to lie and deceive.

          Which supporters and what did Trump plan?

          Sund wanted the troops offered by Trump. Pelosi refused the troops, and her actions made things out of hand. Whether she acted in other devious ways isn’t yet proven.

  3. Nancy seems to have changed her mind to such an extent that she channelled her guilt onto her political enemies.

  4. so Democrats will CHARGE Trump!

    I want 1000’s of criminal democrats from across government JAILED

  5. I’ve always wondered what sort of pressure, and who applied the pressure, that four police officers who responded to the J6 riot chose suicide in the days and months later. Did they get demote? Fired?

    The video we’ve all seen of some of the police officers escorting the shirtless, face-painted dude wearing the Viking hat around must have infuriated Pelosi.

  6. So, how is Pelosi, Cheney, Democrats in general and MSM spin the video?

    1. You’re naïve believing all the lies… you believe the Democrat false narratives and can’t accept you’ve been lied to all your life. We are all hearing from Lifetime credible Democrats telling the truth about the monoparty deepstate criminals. They are the ones who are the practicing fascist. Stop enabling their power over us.

  7. so what? Facts have never mattered with the prog/left. I wonder how liz cheney feels about this?

  8. Riots, leftist riots, all summer long, a violent leftist riot across from the WH, people killed, businesses burned to the ground and yet the only riot to make the news is the ONE AND ONLY riot by righties.

    Yes, it was a riot. Yes, it was bad. Yes, people should have been arrested and put away…but only if you also arrested all of the violent leftists that did much more damage, did much more harm to people and cost the country much more money.

    We live in DOUBLESTANDARDSTAN with Der Fuhrer Joe Biden, Merrick Garland and Mayorkas as his SS and the man in a dress as a pretend admiral as his Dr. Mengele. Trump isn’t Churchill, but at least he isn’t Neville Chamberlain either.

  10. If the truth were ever revealed to the people there would be revolution. The unvarnished truth would reveal the vast corruption of our political, military and intelligence officials and that cannot be allowed to happen so anything that reveals the truth must be supressed. The real problem is that so many people have been gaslighted for so long that they willingly accept the most fantastical lies rather than admit their own niavete.

  11. Yet George will tell us that somehow the opposite is true.
    Gigi will say it’s all because Trump’s the very worst.
    Dennis will say ‘But Professor, in other news…’

    1. George is Bizarro George doing the opposite of everything, Gigi is a lunatic that reeks of cat and vodka and Dennis is just a partisan Democrat lying through where his teeth should be.

      1. Hullbobby, it’s called having an opposing view. That somehow that is a problem is odd since you provide an opposing view on anything regarding Biden. So what are you whining about?

        The point of having discussion to debate is because there’s an opposing view. You seem to have trouble gasping the concept.

        1. George, being paid to post Dem talking points isn’t ‘an opposing view’.
          It’s not ‘debate’. If it’s just TDS compelling you, I hope you get well soon.
          IF you’re sincere: There are other sites where your tactics might work better.

        2. Hullbobby, it’s called having an opposing view.

          George, I worked the farm at a county home in Iowa and the many of the residents had opposing views of reality. You would have fit right in.

        3. “there’s an opposing view”

          You don’t know what an opposing view is.

  12. “Capitol police were told that they could not use critical riot materials and tactics in preparation for the Jan. 6th protests…”

    This brings up an interesting question. If the police were so utterly unprepared, then why did some shoot “non-lethal” projectiles into the crowd and more or less provoke violence from a crowd that was not, at the time, showing propensity to violence? Why did some invite protesters into the Capitol? There were false flag ops and provocateurs in the crowd, Federal agents, and who the devil is Ray Epps? The Jan 6 Committee, and anything they discovered, is a political farce.

    1. Because utterly unprepared means completely conflicting decisions are made by different officer’s in different places

      What is clear from the now public video is that had the capitol been opened
      Protesters would have peacefully marched through and left

      While there was reason to have NG – trump wisely did not trust pelosi

      The cp did not need more resources
      They needed to setup to allow protestors in after searching in manageable numbers

      There was excellent conduct by protestors when they were not ping tear-gassed

  13. Seeing an amazing opportunity to portray all Trump supporters as the Schutzstaffel for J6, Nancy Pelosi and Liz Cheney performed brilliantly. Pelosi’s late confession video will amount to nothing (and the mainstream media will make sure of that).

  14. The last days of the Democrat party. When the collapse comes, it will be glorious.

    1. cionnath,
      I dunno.
      A wounded and cornered animal is a dangerous thing.
      Based off what leftists say, they would be willing to destroy it all than lose their power.

      1. We should keep that in mind. Election day + 1 will likely be riotous. But the Leftists have pushed the party too far to the crazy side for the old bread-and-butter democrats. Even old reliable segments are shifting to the center, which in this day and age is termed “right-wing”. I’m not saying that what will come after will be any better, but at least they will have to start over in their work of mass deception again. The media will shift toward the center, as before, and be less obvious in their bias than they have lately become. The Left will continue, but they will have to submerge for a while.

        1. cionnath said: “I’m not saying that what will come after will be any better, but at least they will have to start over in their work of mass deception again.”

          The wokist/progressive/BLM/LBGTQABCDEF activists and their sympathizers are running dogs for the small group of elitists that enjoys most of the power, and is determined not only to not lose any of it, but to gain what power remains beyond its reach. I don’t for one instant think that George Soros or Pierre Omidyar, or Bill Gates, or any of the Neocon defense industry oligarchs, actually subscribes to 1/10 of 1% of the nonsense that their foot soldiers espouse, but the resulting chaos serves to keep the rest of us from forming effective opposition to their takeover. Those elitists appear to “own” (in one way, or another) quite a number of politicians who are members of the Republican Party, in addition to nearly all of the Democrats. I would advise against overconfidence in the idea that a huge Republican victory in November would, in and of itself, put this country back on track to being a meritocracy that upholds individual Liberty. I think it would be, at most, a small setback for those insidious ba$tard$, who will pause just long enough to retool and come back with different tactics to achieve their ends. Don’t get me wrong – I would welcome even that small setback for them, and the pause that should result, but do not kid yourself that a broad Republican victory in November wins the war, after which we can all relax and return to oblivious contentment. That victory would be only one small step in the right direction. This war, assuming we can deal those elitists any setback at all, is going to continue for a long, long time, and if it has a positive conclusion, that is somewhere in a distant future.

          1. A setback is a good start. But I point out that the coming victory will be a Trump victory, not a Republican victory. Most will be along for the ride, of course, but they will soon find out that it was not for them. The party is changing, has already changed. George W was the last gasp of the old establishment repubs. A new day will dawn. Normal people are going to reclaim the country. Trump is just the harbinger, ushering us in to the new era.

  15. Remembering that I’ve openly stated that…

    “The political left has shown its pattern of propaganda lies within their narratives so many times that it’s beyond me why anyone would blindly accept any narrative that the political left, their lapdog Pravda-USA media, their woke consumed bureaucracy, or their activist supporters actively push?”

    I’ve thought a lot about why the political left lies the way they do and I think I’ve come up with a conclusion that might be logically supportable.

    “The reason the political left lies so often MUST be because the actual truth will not support their candidates, their policies, their ideology, or their preferred demonization narratives; otherwise, why would they choose to lie.”

    When cherry picking and lying about Trump, it’s really clear that the political left believes right down to their bones that the ends justify the means. Yup folks, that’s correct, the truth doesn’t benefit the political left so they intentionally b-a-s-t-a-r-d-i-z-e it or completely flush it down the porcelain God until their planned irreversible damage has been done, this tactic is morally bankrupt.

    As far as I’m concerned this is the self-evident truth.

    1. Self reporting found that while only one percent of people will do whatever it takes to gain political power
      2/3 of Those with advanced degrees from ivies woul do whatever it takes to

  16. Why do British people say “time” when it is implied by the context that time is being talked about? For example: “Two days time.” or “Three years time.” They need to stop doing this. Why can’t they just say “two days” or “three years” like normal people?

    1. Maybe it’s because British people actually speak “normal” English, like “normal people”.

      1. It may also be because “NORMAL ENGLISH PEOPLE” speak “NORMAL ENGLISH” like “NORMAL ENGLISH PEOPLE”.

        “NORMAL PEOPLE” should speak “NORMAL ENGLISH” and not complain when “NORMAL ENGLISH PEOPLE” speak “NORMAL ENGLISH” !!!!

    2. That’s not even the worst of it. Brits will say “half seven” for 07:30, equivalent to “half past seven”, which is what Americans would say. To make it worse, Germans would say “halb sieben” for 06:30, just to get the Brits pissed. And when I say pissed, I mean angry and not drunk.

      This is how the First World War started in 1914 years time.

      1. But the NORMAL meaning of “pissed” is “drunk”, as in “pissed as a fart” or “pissed an owl”.

  18. It won’t matter worth a damn. The wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round but the bus makes no headway.

  19. MESSAGE FROM JONATHAN,

    Unfortunately my writers are still having trouble coming up with relevant stories.
    We really are scraping the bottom of our barrel, and this is the best we can come up with.
    I apologize for this non-story, but it is the best we can do for now.

    Sorry about this,
    Jonathan

    2. This particular “Anonymous” says Turley writes about non-issues…and yet he is here all day long? That ladies and gentlemen is a weirdo. Or a paid operative.

  20. Gosh, it’s almost as if our Government is corrupt. If so, it’s no wonder why Trump is a problem.

    1. Do we have the government that we deserve? Can we vote the corrupt from office?

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