WASHINGTON — The committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection released new video Thursday showing congressional leaders and then-Vice President Mike Pence responding to the violent breach of the Capitol in bipartisan fashion.
The video presented a striking contrast in the actions of those who were rushed to safety inside the Capitol and former President Donald Trump, who watched the riot play out on television inside the White House dining room, rejecting pleas to publicly call for an end to violence and tell his supporters to go home.
“The president watched the bloody attack unfold on Fox News from his dining room,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said. “Members of Congress and other government officials stepped into the gigantic leadership void created by the president’s chilling and steady passivity that day. What you’re about to see is previously unseen footage of congressional leaders — both Republicans and Democrats — as they were taken to a secure location during the riot. You’ll see how everyone involved was working actively to stop the violence, to get federal law enforcement deployed to the scene to put down the violence and secure the Capitol complex.”
