According to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre, Jan. 6 was “the worst attack against our democracy since Civil War.” Schumer said that Tucker Carlson should be removed from Fox News in order to preserve democracy.
Let’s see, what did Carlson do to merit the Senate Majority Leader calling him out for his silence? House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) granted him access to 41,000 hours of footage dating back to Jan. 6. He aired a special that revealed two key pieces of tape. First, tape of Capitol Police walking with Jacob Chansley through the hallways. Second, tape of Officer Brian Sicknick gesturing animatedly towards fellow officers after he was attacked outside.
Based on the tape, Carlson seemed to downplay violence of that day. He stated, “A small portion of them were hooligans. The overwhelming majority of them weren’t. They were peaceful. They were calm and orderly. They were not insurrectionists, they were sightseers.
A riot occurred on Jan. 6. There were dozens of injuries to officers during the riot. More than 1,000 people were also arrested. Carlson is correct that some Capitol residents were seen wandering aimlessly and not violently. Also, the original media portrayal of Sicknick’s death — that he was directly killed by the crowd — was inaccurate.
You can argue with Carlson’s framing any time you like, but I have major disagreements with it. It is evident that Jan. 6, despite its ugly appearance, was not a riot nor a “danger for our democracy”. That many Capitol rioters were actually gawking and not rioting was also clear. The Jan. 6 committee made every effort to show certain footage and avoid other footage. The Jan. 6 committee and media made a decision to not allow any nuance regarding the riots. Instead, the only acceptable narrative was that there had been an insurrection and that it threatened to overthrow the United States. The insurrection is still raging in conservative circles. Any evidence that could be used to counter this overblown narrative was ignored.
According to some, silence was the best way to prevent that narrative from spreading. Schumer’s request to silence Carlson was precisely why Carlson’s original report became viral. The media-Democratic elite keeps exaggerating stories, hiding any countervailing info, and then seeking censorship of those who present such information. They keep burying evidenceiary landmines in the hope that they won’t trigger. They are shocked by the explosion and bow down to the landmines.
According to media and political elites we couldn’t be shown the footage lest the wrong conclusions were drawn. This is the problem. The best way to stop the American people from drawing incorrect conclusions is to give them all the evidence and let them come up with their own conclusions. That’s exactly what our media elites and the Democratic Party will not allow.
