Pelosi said on Jan. 6 she'd 'punch' Trump if he came to the Capitol, 'go to jail,' and 'be happy' about it
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
The House Jan. 6 committee, in what is believed to have been its final public session, played video Thursday of what congressional leaders — who were stationed at a secure location at Fort McNair, about two miles away from the Capitol — were doing to stop the Jan. 6, 2021, siege while it was ongoing. "Everyone involved was working actively to stop the violence, to get federal law enforcement deployed to the scene to put down the violence and secure the Capitol complex," said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), setting up the video. "All of them did what President Trump was not doing, what he simply refused to do."
The never-before-broadcast video was from documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi's daughter, and it centers on what Pelosi was doing during the riot. But Alexandra Pelosi also captured what her mother was doing earlier in the day, and CNN obtained an hour of that footage not presented by the committee.
One clip, from before the pro-Trump rioters reach the Capitol, shows Speaker Pelosi learning that Trump, despite his declaration in a speech at the Ellipse, had been "dissuaded" by the Secret Service from coming to Capitol Hill — reinforcing testimony from former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"If he comes, I'm going to punch him out," Pelosi said. "I've been waiting for this. For trespassing on the Capitol grounds, I'm going to punch him out. And I'm going to go to jail, and I'm going to be happy."
Much of the rest of the video shows Pelosi and other congressional leaders on the phone with various governors and then-Vice President Mike Pence, trying to get National Guard troops to the Capitol and figuring out where Congress would reconvene to certify President Biden's electoral victory — Congress or Fort McNair.
That matter was decided at about 6 p.m., after Pence — still huddling at a Capitol loading dock with his Secret Service detail — told Pelosi that Capitol Police "believe that the House and the Senate will be able to reconvene in roughly an hour."
Pelosi and Pence — No. 2 and 3 in line for the presidency at the time — had been in contact for at least an hour and a half at that point. "I worry about you being in that Capitol room," Pelosi told Pence in a call at about 4:20 p.m. "Don't let anybody know where you are."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast: a ‘highly entertaining ride’The Week Recommends Mystery-comedy from the creator of Derry Girls should be ‘your new binge-watch’
-
The 8 best TV shows of the 1960sThe standout shows of this decade take viewers from outer space to the Wild West
-
Microdramas are boomingUnder the radar Scroll to watch a whole movie
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
