Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had two clear priorities during and after the January 6 Capitol riot: ensuring the certification of President-elect Joe Biden and holding Donald Trump accountable for his role in the chaos.
“I just feel sick about what he did to the Capitol and the country today. He’s got a price to pay for that,” Pelosi said on January 7, 2021, from the backseat of her SUV. This moment, captured in 50 minutes of footage filmed by her daughter, Alexandra Pelosi, has been analyzed by Politico. The video is now in the possession of the Republican-led House Committee on Administration, which is critical of the January 6 committee’s selective focus.
The footage shows Pelosi being evacuated from the Capitol by police amid the chaos of the riot. During her evacuation, she inquired about then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s actions regarding the National Guard, learning that he had approved the request for their deployment.
Pelosi expressed her frustration about being evacuated, stating, “I did not appreciate this.” She was adamant that the proceedings continue to avoid validating the rioters’ attempts to halt the certification of the election. “If they stop the proceedings, they will have succeeded