Tucker Carlson won't get Jan. 6 tapes until after security review, lawmaker asserts

Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson will not receive surveillance tapes of the Jan. 6, 2021, disturbance at the U.S. Capitol until completion of a security review of the footage, House Republicans say.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced in late February that he would hand over 41,000 hours of Capitol Hill surveillance footage to the Fox host. "[T]he American public should actually see all [that] happened instead of a report that's written [on] a political basis," the California Republican said at the time.

That release, however, will come with limitations. House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., outlined that Carlson will have to comply with security restrictions to ensure that classified materials do not become public.

"It's basically controlled access to be able to view tapes. Can't record, can't take anything with you," Loudermilk said. "Then they will request any particular clips that — that they may need, and then we'll make sure that there's nothing sensitive, nothing classified — you know, escape routes."

Despite the apparent restrictions, McCarthy's release of the footage to Carlson exclusively, has prompted outrage from Democrats and legacy media outlets. Moreover, conservatives such as My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell have expressed concerns that Fox may selectively release the footage. The bedtime mogul has pledged to sue for the footage.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.