Quick Hit: 

Newly surfaced footage shows former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi admitting she should have requested the National Guard ahead of the January 6 Capitol riot, contradicting her public stance on the event.

Key Details:

• Footage turned over to Congress shows Pelosi expressing regret for not pre-positioning the National Guard on January 6.
• Pelosi can be heard saying, "We will have totally failed. And we've got to take some responsibility," as she fled the Capitol.
• The video contrasts Pelosi's public claims that she had no role in security arrangements, despite the Sergeant at Arms reporting to her.

Diving Deeper:

Unaired footage recently provided to House Republican investigators reveals former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressing regret over not deploying the National Guard ahead of the January 6 Capitol riot. Captured by her daughter, Alexandra Pelosi, the video shows the then-speaker fleeing the Capitol through a tunnel while lamenting the absence of National Guard forces, a decision she acknowledges as a failure.

In the footage, Pelosi can be heard saying, "We’re calling the National Guard now? They should have been here to start out." This statement stands in stark contrast to her previous public assertions that she bore no responsibility for the security arrangements on that day. Notably, the top House security officer, Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving, reported directly to her.

The video, which had not been fully aired in the HBO documentary featuring Pelosi, also captures her pressing Irving to resign and acknowledging that lawmakers had repeatedly questioned the preparedness for potential unrest on January 6. "How many times did members ask, are we prepared? Are we prepared? We're not prepared for the worst," Pelosi stated, adding, "We will have totally failed. And we've got to take some responsibility."

This footage was released to Congress as part of an ongoing investigation into the security failures surrounding January 6, now led by House Administration Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Barry Loudermilk. The new evidence provides a striking contrast to Pelosi’s previous narrative and has reignited discussions about the decisions leading up to the Capitol breach.

The situation is further complicated by revelations that the Pentagon, under President Donald Trump, had offered National Guard support to the Capitol Police days before the riot. This offer was reportedly declined by Deputy Police Chief Sean Gallagher after consulting with Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who later testified that his request for National Guard assistance was denied due to "concerns for politics and optics."