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New footage following the harrowing events of January 6 captures Nancy Pelosi’s anger at Donald Trump over the Capitol riot which saw a pro-MAGA mob temporarily halt the certifiying of the 2020 election results and left five people dead.
The previously unaired footage came from documentary maker Alexandra Pelosi, who was accompanying her mother in the early days of 2021 to make a film about her role as House Speaker. The film, Pelosi in the House, was released by HBO on December 13, 2022.
Some 50 minutes of footage was handed over by HBO to the House Administration Committee, headed by Republicans, this week.
The committee has established a new investigation into the Jan 6 riot in an attempt to undercut the now-disbanded bipartisan House Select Committee, according to Politico. The committee, which released its final report in December 2022, found that Trump was liable for the chaos and violence of his supporters at the Capitol.
In the new footage, Pelosi can be seen in the back of her car in the early hours of January 7 and appears exhausted.
“I just feel sick about what he did to the Capitol and the country today,” the House Speaker says. “He’s got to pay a price for that.”
In a conversation with her staff the next morning, Pelosi asked for a list of Trump’s cabinet so she could call on them to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. She added that she was going to describe Trump as “a domestic enemy in the White House” in a statement.
“Let’s not mince words about this,” she said. But in the end, she didn’t call out any cabinet officials or call Trump a “domestic enemy.”
The HBO footage also gives a more detailed look at Pelosi’s evacuation from the Capitol, revealing her agitation at being forced to leave the chamber at the hands of the rioters.
She appears concerned that those targeting the Capitol would see lawmakers leaving as a victory for their cause and pushed for members of Congress to return that night to finish the certification of President Joe Biden’s election win.
The footage also showed Pelosi’s anger quickly morphing into her desire to impeach Trump - for the second time in his presidency.
It also reveals her willingness to fire Capitol security staff whom she thought hadn’t properly handled possible threats to the building.
Earlier in the footage, Pelosi is seen walking at speed through the building surrounded by her staff and asking if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had approved a request for the National Guard to be called in, which her chief-of-staff confirms.
Not long after, an official told Pelosi that the rioters had breached the Capitol building. She is heard saying that she doesn’t want lawmakers to evacuate.
“I did not appreciate this. I do not support this,” she said. “If they stop the proceedings, they will have succeeded in stopping the validation of the presidency of the United States.”
Pelosi then criticizes Capitol security.
“How many times did the members ask, ‘Are we prepared?’ ... We’re not prepared for the worst,” Pelosi said. “We’re calling the National Guard, now? It should’ve been here to start out. I just don’t understand it. Why do we empower people this way by not being ready?”
The footage shows congressional leaders including Pelosi, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, and Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer huddling at the designated evacuation zone, Fort McNair, in southern Washington DC, as they slam Trump for his actions.
The lawmakers watch a video statement from Trump, shared on the afternoon of January 6, where he lauds the rioters and falsely claims that the 2020 election had been stolen from him, before telling the mob to go home.
“Insurrection. That’s a crime, and he’s guilty of it,” Pelosi said.
