Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) vented his fury at an Army official over President Donald Trump’s refusal to deploy the National Guard during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, footage obtained by MSNBC showed on Monday.
“D.C. has requested the National Guard, and it’s been denied by DOD. I’d like to know a good fucking reason why it’s been denied,” Schumer can be seen telling then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy on the phone. “We need them fast. We’ve all had to, I’ve never seen anything like this. We’re like a third-world country here. We had to run and evacuate the Capitol.”
Schumer is seen in the frame with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) after the two were evacuated to Fort McNair as the violence unfolded.
Trump, who called the perpetrators “warriors ” in a recent speech, has falsely claimed that he called in the Guard but was blocked by Pelosi. She had no authority over the National Guard in D.C.; Trump did.
Later, Schumer tells Pelosi of his progress in trying to secure troops to defend the Capitol.
“I spoke to the secretary of the Army, and he’s given the full OK to get the National Guard,” Schumer said. “I’m going to call up the secretary of defense.”
An urgent Schumer then repeatedly asks acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen in his “law enforcement responsibility” if he’ll persuade Trump to make the rioters leave but appears dissatisfied with Rosen’s response.
“No, no, no,” Schumer snaps. “Please answer my question. Answer my question!”
In another snippet, Pelosi tells Vice President Mile pence, “And we were disappointed that the fact that it took so long to approve the National Guard. But I’m glad to hear that that’s at least moving.”
Troops finally Arrived around 5:40 p.m., when most of the violence had subsided.
Trump, the Republican candidate headed for a rematch against President Joe Biden this November, has been charged with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss, resulting in a violent coup attempt.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) told MSNBC host Katy Tur that the footage is “a stark reminder for everybody about the chaos, the brutality, the violence of that day. We can’t forget what happened. We can’t forget the fragility sometimes of our system. … This was an insurrection. There’s no other way to classify it.”
