'Bullshit': Tucker And McCarthy Face Backlash From Republicans

By Conover Kennard — March 7, 2023

There is a massive backlash after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy handed over thousands of hours of Jan. 6 Capitol riot security footage to Fox News' propagandist Tucker Carlson, who used the never-before-aired clips to downplay the violence on the day of the insurrection.

Carlson claimed that the Trump supporters who illegally occupied the building after scaling the walls were orderly and meek and that the protesters "revered" the Capitol.

No one believes this. Well, except for Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, but they are very unserious politicians.

Republican Senators spoke with CNN's Manu Raju, and they aren't happy with McCarthy or Carlson.

Sen. Kevin Cramer called Carlson's version of events a "lie."

Some pushback from GOP senators this AM after McCarthy gave Tucker Carlson J6 footage and the Fox host sought to downplay attack. “To somehow put that in the same category as a permitted peaceful protest is just a lie,” Sen. Kevin Cramer told me.

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 7, 2023

Sen. Thom Tillis called it "bullshit."

“I think it’s bullshit,” Thom Tillis told me of how Tucker Carlson portrayed the events and he also criticized how other violent demonstrations have been portrayed in press.
On J6, Tillis said: “And I saw maybe a few tourists, a few people who got caught up and things…

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 7, 2023

“But when you see police barricades breached, when you see police officers assaulted, all of that … If you were just a tourist you should have probably lined up at the Visitor Center and came in on an orderly basis. I just don't think it's helpful,” he said

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 7, 2023

Tillis: I think it’s bullshit pic.twitter.com/NY3Tu1hM9U

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 7, 2023

Sen. Mike Rounds called it an "insurrection."

Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, added that all media outlets should be given access to the J6 footage. And he added: “I thought it was an insurrection at that time. I still think it was an insurrection today.”

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 7, 2023

Sen. Chuck Grassley wasn't too happy, either. And Sen. John Thune called it an "attack on the Capitol."

Grassley: “The point is, what happened that day shouldn't have happened.”

Thune: “I think it was an attack on the Capitol. … There were a lot of people in the Capitol at the time that were scared for their lives.”

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 7, 2023

Thune: It was an attack on the Capitol
Cramer: I think breaking through windows and doors to get into the Capitol against orders of police is a crime
Grassley: The point is what happened that day shouldn’t have happened pic.twitter.com/rdWMKw2L4f

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 7, 2023

Sen. Kevin Cramer didn't think the footage was released fairly:

Cramer on McCarthy giving Carlson the footage. “The best thing to do is to give it to every source at the same time and let everybody go through it and play it in its entirety. … and then avoid the political opinions versus just looking at the facts.”

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 7, 2023

Sen. Mitt Romney called it "dangerous and disgusting."

Sen. Mitt Romney told me that McCarthy made a mistake in giving Carlson the Jan. 6 footage and said Carlson’s portrayal of the Capitol attack was “dangerous and disgusting.”

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 7, 2023

Romney added: “Any attempt to normalize what was a violent attack on the United States Capitol only makes it more intriguing for people to do such a thing in the future,” he said, comparing Carlson to Alex Jones’ false portrayal of the Sandy Hook shooting.

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 7, 2023

And Mitch McConnell backs the blue:

McConnell: It was a mistake in my view for Fox to depict this in a way that’s completely at variance with what our chief law enforcement official at the Capitol thinks pic.twitter.com/gfStuaTmKd

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 7, 2023

Carlson and McCarthy are trying to give Donald Trump cover as investigations into his conduct while in office -- and after leaving office in disgrace -- heat up. But we saw the events unfold live on TV on Jan. 6. We all saw it.