Kevin McCarthy gives trove of unreleased Jan 6 footage to Tucker Carlson

Fox News host Tucker Carlson (Getty Images)

Fox News host Tucker Carlson, a leading purveyor of disinformation about the 2020 election at his network, will have access to a massive trove of unreleased footage from surveillance cameras around the US Capitol taken during the January 6 insurrection.

It’s a clear move by Speaker Kevin McCarthy to mend ties with the far right; Carlson has long sought to minimise the severity of the attack on Congress and this effort will come as the Department of Justice considers whether to charge Donald Trump or his associates with obstruction of an official proceeding or other crimes.

Carlson has long denounced the efforts of the January 6 select committee in the House as “lies” and has referred to the riot at the Capitol which led to the deaths of several Capitol Police officers and the temporary delay of the certification of the 2020 election as “forgettably minor”.

Mr McCarthy’s move to give Carlson the footage was first reported on Monday by Axios.

“If there was ever a question that’s in the public’s interest to know, it’s what actually happened on January 6. By definition, this video will reveal it. It’s impossible for me to understand why any honest person would be bothered by that,” the Fox host told the news outlet in a statement.

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