Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Trump Ripped After Trying To Blame Pelosi For 'Not Properly Securing' Capitol Before Riot On Jan. 6

Trump Ripped After Trying To Blame Pelosi For 'Not Properly Securing' Capitol Before Riot On Jan. 6
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, blaming her for "not properly securing" the United States Capitol on January 6, the day a mob of his supporters, spurred by his lies, attacked the seat of government on the false premise that the 2020 general election had been stolen.

Trump, who had urged his supporters to "fight like hell" to keep him in office, falsely asserted that Pelosi could have or should have done more to prevent the attack. However, the responsibility for security lies not with Pelosi but with the United States Capitol Police and its board, which can request help from federal as well as Washington, D.C. authorities.


In an emailed statement to his supporters dessiminated by his spokesperson Liz Harrington, Trump also criticized the House Select Committee tasked with investigating the attack, demanding that they investigate his false allegations that the 2020 election was rife with fraud and abuse.

He also demanded that the committee investigate Pelosi while insisting that the committee "wants nothing to do with that subject because they know it was the fault of Nancy Pelosi and, to a lesser extent, the Mayor of D.C."

Trump said:

“Why isn’t the corrupt Unselect Committee of political hacks and highly partisan sleazebags in Washington investigating the massive voter fraud and irregularities that took place in the 2020 Presidential Election, rather than spending all of its time investigating those who were protesting its result?" ...
"Also, why is Crazy Nancy Pelosi and her files, which reportedly have been largely destroyed and deleted, not under investigation for not properly securing the Capitol with Soldiers or the National Guard that were strongly recommended to her by me and others?"

Trump proceeded to skirt his responsibility for encouraging his supporters to attack the Capitol, insisting that he knew the crowd would be large because they were protesting an election he continues to falsely claim was "RIGGED."

He went on to suggest that he had requested security for the Capitol but that his requests were denied by Pelosi:

"Capitol security was her job, not the President’s, and the American people now know that. If she did with security what she should have, there would have been no 'January 6' as we know it." ...
"So, if I recommend Soldiers and if she refused to use them, why am I, and those around me, responsible for anything? We’re not, plain and simple!”

However, Trump's claim is false.

While there were numerous warnings about the possibility of an attack, the Capitol Police planned only for a free speech demonstration and turned down offers of assistance from the Pentagon on two separate occasions.

Three days prior to the attack, the Pentagon had suggested deploying the National Guard. On the day of the attack, as the mob proceeded to attack the Capitol, the Pentagon suggested bringing in agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The Capitol Police denied both offers of assistance,, which ultimately handicapped the force's ability to contain the threat.

Aides and allies of the former President had pleaded with him to call for an end to the violence but Trump had initially resisted sending in the National Guard even as rioters grew progressively more violent.

In fact, Trump's refusal to respond, widely perceived as further evidence that he not only encouraged but ultimately endorsed the attack, forced Vice President Mike Pence to take the lead on the decision to mobilize the National Guard.

Many have criticized Trump for attacking Pelosi and playing fast and loose with the facts of who ultimately bore responsibility for the attack.



Debates over Capitol security have intensified since the attack and the agency was forced to boost security around lawmakers who received threats afterward.

The Senate later called for former Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper Michael Stenger, former House Sergeant at Arms Paul D. Irving, former Chief of U.S. Capitol Police Steven Sund, and Robert Contee, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, to testify on the events of January 6 amid criticism of their response.

So widespread were criticisms of the Capitol Police, even among its ranks, that the U.S. Capitol Police Labor Committee, the union that represents thousands of U.S. Capitol Police officers, announced that the overwhelming majority of Capitol Police officers––92%––voted that they had no confidence in Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman, who was later replaced by Thomas Manger.

The union also provided votes of no confidence on other members of the department, saying in a news release that the board "took this unprecedented step after reviewing details of the events on, and leading up to, January 6th and the subsequent deaths of 6 people, and injuries to approximately 140 Capitol and Metropolitan Police officers.”

More from People/donald-trump

Millie Bobby Brown
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Millie Bobby Brown Just Revealed Her Real Middle Name—And Fans Are Floored

Fans of UK actor Millie Bobby Brown did a double-take when she revealed her actual middle name wasn't "Bobby" during a press tour to promote her new sci-fi adventure comedy film, The Electric State.

Brown emerged as a star for her role playing Eleven in the Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things, for which she received two nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mark Kelly; Elon Musk
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Kevin Lamarque - Pool/Getty Images

Dem Senator Fires Back At Elon Musk After Musk Called Him 'A Traitor' For Visiting Ukraine

After billionaire Elon Musk called Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly "a traitor" for visiting Ukraine amid the country's ongoing war with Russia, Kelly perfectly shamed him for the attack.

Kelly, a former U.S. Navy combat pilot and astronaut, made his third visit to Ukraine since 2023, where he visited a military hospital and met with Red Cross staff. During his visit, he spoke with wounded service members and spent time with pilots who have flown combat missions defending against Russian air attacks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Patrick Brazeau, Don Jr.
Patrick Brazeau/Facebook, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Canadian Senator Challenges Don Jr. To A Boxing Match—And We're Grabbing The Popcorn

Canadian Senator Patrick Brazeau said he is 100% serious about putting his dukes up to face off against Donald Trump Jr. in a boxing match.

Brazeau's challenge to go into the ring with Republican President Donald Trump's eldest son is in the spirit of charity, and to settle tariff war tensions between the U.S. and Canada.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lauren Boebert; Al Green
Andrea Renault/Star Max/GC Images; Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

Boebert Slammed After Making Racist 'Pimp Cane' Comment About Dem Rep.

Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert was criticized after claiming during an interview with the far-right television network Real America's Voice that Texas Democratic Representative Al Green shook his "pimp cane" at President Donald Trump during Trump's address to a joint session of Congress last week.

During Trump’s speech on Tuesday, March 4, Green stood and passionately denounced potential Republican cuts to Medicaid, dramatically pointing his cane at the president. When asked to sit, the 77-year-old lawmaker refused and was ultimately escorted out of the chamber.

Keep ReadingShow less
J.D. Vance; screenshot of J.D. Vance greeted by protesters
Brandon Bell/Getty Images; CNN

JD Vance Claims Pro-Ukraine Protesters 'Shouted' At His 3-Year-Old—But Video Shows Otherwise

Vice President J.D. Vance was criticized after he claimed in a post on X that a group of "Slava Ukraini" protesters shouted at him while he was out for a walk with his 3-year-old daughter, only for the backlash to intensify when video taken by the protesters seemed to contradict his story.

Though Vance described the dialogue as a mostly respectful conversation, his post betrayed his anger at something that didn't happen at all.

Keep ReadingShow less