Early Thursday morning, Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to demand the immediate dismissal of all charges against the Jan. 6 rioters, citing comments by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump’s latest outburst misrepresented Pelosi’s statements to shift the blame away from himself and his supporters.
House Republicans recently released previously unseen footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The video captures Pelosi saying she accepts “full responsibility” for security lapses that allowed Trump’s supporters to storm the Capitol and disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s election win. Trump seized on this footage, using it to argue for the dismissal of Jan. 6 cases.
“Based on Crazy Nancy Pelosi’s taped admission to her daughter, ALL J6 CASES SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY DROPPED,” Trump posted at 1:38 a.m. Thursday.
The clips, released by the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, were intended to showcase alleged bias in the House select committee’s investigation of the Capitol attack. Trump highlighted sections where Pelosi took responsibility, conveniently ignoring her explicit statements that held him accountable for the violence.
Pelosi had referred to Trump as a “domestic enemy” while he was still president, stating, “Let’s not mince words about this.” In another clip from an HBO documentary, Pelosi discussed her intention to call for Trump’s removal from office due to the attack, emphasizing the need to focus on the president and not be distracted.
A spokesperson for Pelosi criticized the Republican efforts to shift responsibility away from Trump. “Numerous independent fact-checkers have confirmed again and again that Speaker Pelosi did not plan her own assassination on Jan. 6,” said Ian Krager. “The speaker of the House is not in charge of the security of the Capitol Complex — on Jan. 6 or any other day of the week.”
