On Thursday (October 13), CNN aired footage showing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA.) saying she would “punch” then-President Donald Trump if he showed up at the Capitol after the rally he held at the Ellipse.
The footage, taken by Nancy’s daughter, Alexandra Pelosi, a filmmaker, aired on “Anderson Cooper 360.”
The footage captures the reactions of several Congressional leaders to the events of January 6, 2021.
In the footage, Pelosi comments to her staff while Trump speaks at the rally at the Ellipse.
Pelosi says, “If he comes, I’m gonna punch him out.”
Telling her staff, “I’ve been waiting for this, for trespassing on the Capitol grounds. I’m gonna punch him out, and I’m gonna go to jail and I’m gonna be happy.”
The footage offers a glimpse into the reactions of lawmakers on the day of the Capitol riot, parts of which were played at the Jan. 6 Select Committee’s public hearing on Thursday. However, CNN played a more expansive version that showed lawmakers’ real-time reactions to the chaos.
During the public hearing, the committee played portions of the footage that showed Trump’s inaction in the grave danger posed by a mob of Trump-supporting rioters, who aimed to disrupt the certification of President Joe Biden’s win.
In one clip, an unidentified voice tells Pelosi that lawmakers on the House floor had to put on tear gas masks in preparation for the rioters’ breach.
Another clip shows Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Pelosi negotiating with governors and defense officials to get the National Guard to the Capitol as Capitol police endured a brutal beating from rioters.
At one point in the video, a staff member tells Pelosi that it appears Trump — who told supporters he would join them as they marched to the Capitol — would not be going to the Capitol because Secret Service warned him there wasn’t sufficient security.
In response, Pelosi says, “Tell him if he comes here, we’re going to the White House.”
