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What footage exists of Nancy Pelosi on January 6 2021?
Executive summary
Multiple types of footage show Nancy Pelosi on and around January 6, 2021: (a) documentary video shot by her daughter, Alexandra Pelosi, later turned over to HBO and then provided to Congress, which includes roughly 50 minutes of evacuation and aftermath scenes and remarks such as Pelosi saying “I take full responsibility” [1] [2] [3]. (b) Security and news footage used by the House January 6 committee and media outlets showing Pelosi being evacuated to Fort McNair and participating in calls with other congressional leaders [4] [5]. Coverage and released clips have been used by different actors to support competing narratives about responsibility for security failures that day [2] [6].
1. What kinds of Pelosi footage exist — documentary, security, and committee material
There are at least three distinct categories of video showing Pelosi on January 6: documentary footage recorded by filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi (later produced to HBO and turned over to Congress), security/evacuation footage and stills shown in January 6 committee hearings, and media-obtained clips of congressional leaders at Fort McNair coordinating after the breach [3] [4] [5]. The Alexandra Pelosi material includes informal, unaired behind‑the‑scenes footage shot while she accompanied her mother; the committee and media tapes are operational footage of evacuations and post‑evacuation calls [1] [5].
2. What the Alexandra Pelosi / HBO footage shows
The documentary footage captured by Alexandra Pelosi and provided to HBO — portions of which Republicans later obtained and released to Congress — includes Pelosi being evacuated, speaking with staff and colleagues, and commenting on security and President Trump; outlets report roughly 50 minutes of evacuation and aftermath material among these tapes [1] [2] [3]. Reported quotes in those clips include Pelosi saying “I take full responsibility” when discussing failings around Capitol security and expressing anger at Trump, calling him a “domestic enemy” in the hours after the attack [2] [1] [7].
3. What the committee and security footage shows about leadership response
Separate tapes from the House January 6 investigation and media partners showed congressional leaders — including Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer — being moved to Fort McNair and making calls to administration and military officials as the crisis unfolded, footage the committee played publicly during hearings to illustrate the leadership response and attempts to secure reinforcements [4] [5]. CNN and AP reported that these tapes reveal frantic coordination and discussions about completing the certification and obtaining guard support [5] [4].
4. How the footage has been used politically and contested
Republican members of the House Administration committee released portions of the Alexandra Pelosi/HBO material arguing Pelosi “took responsibility” for security failures and to shift blame away from former President Trump; Democratic and media outlets contextualize the clips as part of a larger record showing leaders scrambling and criticizing Trump’s role [2] [3] [8]. Fact‑checking reporting warns that selective posting of footage has revived false or misleading claims—such as assertions Pelosi “staged” the attack or hired a camera crew—claims that AFP and other outlets say are not supported by the record and by testimony indicating Alexandra Pelosi filmed on her own [6].
5. Key lines and moments reported in multiple outlets
News organizations consistently note a few recurring elements in the released tapes: Pelosi urging focus on Trump the day after, expressing anger and describing the events with words like “insurrection,” speaking about responsibility for security lapses, and being part of post‑attack leadership phone calls at Fort McNair [8] [7] [1] [5]. Those reported lines and scenes have been cited verbatim by both Reuters/BBC‑type outlets and partisan committee statements [1] [2].
6. Limitations, gaps, and competing interpretations
Available sources make clear footage exists but also show disagreement over what isolated clips prove. Republicans frame the Alexandra Pelosi clips as Pelosi admitting failure to secure the Capitol; Democrats and many outlets place those clips in the broader context of leadership coordination and of Pelosi’s anger at Trump [2] [8] [7]. Fact‑checking pieces emphasize that selective use of footage can mislead and that claims beyond what the tapes show—such as staged attacks or paid crews—are disputed and not supported by the cited reporting [6].
7. Practical takeaway for someone seeking the footage
If you want to view primary clips, reportings say the HBO documentary footage recorded by Alexandra Pelosi was produced to the Subcommittee and portions have been posted or cited by the House Administration committee and obtained/shared with outlets such as BBC, CNN and others; committee press releases and major news stories summarize or quote key moments [3] [1] [5]. For broader context, pair any short clip with the committee/security tapes and contemporaneous reporting; outlets and fact‑checks warn against drawing definitive conclusions from isolated snippets [4] [6].
Sources cited above come from the House Administration press releases, BBC, CNN, AP, The New Republic, The Hill, and AFP fact‑check summaries as noted in the inline citations [2] [3] [1] [5] [4] [7] [8] [6].