Kevin McCarthy, House Speaker, said Thursday that he would release unreleased security footage of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol Riot when pro-Trump protesters entered the complex to protest the presidential elections.

McCarthy stated that he wanted to be thoughtful but it was true in his weekly presser.

“I believe the public should be able to see what happened that day. I saw what Nancy Pelosi, then-House Speaker, did. She politicized it. He told reporters that he had for the first time in his history, stopped allowing the minority to appoint a committee. “We saw the politicization. “I think that the American public should see the actual events and not just a report written on a political foundation.”

Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar stated to The Washington Times that release of security footage was necessary for the legal defense of Jan. 6 detainees.

“Defendants aren’t given enough background to defend themselves. It must happen. Absolutely. He told The Times that it had to happen. Let’s free it, and while we do that, let’s get Ms. Pelosi’s tape in conversation with Gen. [Mark A. Milley] & the Capitol Police.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla. Republican) said that McCarthy had promised conservative Republican lawmakers that he would release all footage during a Tuesday interview with Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA.

He said that Kevin McCarthy had told us that he would get the evidence in front of Americans, which means that he would release the 14,000 hours worth of tapes that were hidden. “I believe that this would provide more context to the day than the isolated moments that Jan. 6 tried to use inflamed and further divided our country.

Responding to Mr. McCarthy’s comments, Mr. Gaetz tweeted his followers: “Thanks to the 20 patriots that helped EARN this promise from the Speaker. Thank you @SpeakerMcCarthy, for confirming the commitment you made. Trust is built by keeping promises. “I’m becoming more optimistic every day!”

A group of House Republicans demanded last August that the U.S. Capitol Police release all security footage from that day in order to permit fair trials in cases relating to the Capitol riot.

The 23 Texas Republican lawmakers who were then leading the Capitol Police Board wrote to William J. Walker, the Chairman, to request the release of the footage.

The Washington Times reported that Mr. Gohmert said that the tapes were not released because he believes it was a big blot on The Department of Justice. It’s outrageous that the American justice system is not required to make these videos available.

According to Mr. Gohmert, multiple Jan. 6 defendants stated to his office that although their prosecutors had provided specific video segments for building their cases against them, the defense has no access to any other footage they believe may be exoneratory.

He said, “As I have said many times: from people that perpetrated violence on Jan. 6 they need to be punished.” It is outrageous to go after peaceful Jan. 6 defendants, who were waved into and thought there wasn’t anything wrong with what was happening, and have them locked up for a whole year and a quarter.

Last summer, a spokesperson for Capitol Police denied that Capitol riot defendants had not been given full access to the footage provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The spokesperson stated that every Jan. 6th defendant has the same footage. This is all the USAO is publishing. They don’t just get the relevant footage.

Similar requests were made by other lawmakers for the release.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Capitol Police stated that “The video was designated security information and is protected from public disclosure.” It would be the responsibility of the Capitol Police Board to release it, and not the Department.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia Republican) wrote last June to Christopher A. Wray, FBI Director, and Yolanda Pitman, acting Chief of Capitol Police, asking for surveillance footage taken at the Capitol on the day the riot occurred, among other demands.

She wrote that “it is abundantly obvious that there is a dual-track justice system” in the letter.