Nancy Pelosi used a Capitol Hill ceremony meant to honor law enforcement to launch yet another partisan tirade against Donald Trump and to revive the lefts preferred narrative about January 6.
The former House Speaker spoke Wednesday at the unveiling of a plaque commemorating Capitol Police officers, an event that, according to Gateway Pundit, quickly turned into a political spectacle. The plaque, installed earlier this month, was ostensibly intended to recognize officers service, but Pelosi and fellow Democrat Adam Schiff used the occasion to reframe the 2021 unrest as a Trump-driven insurrection and to cast themselves as besieged defenders of democracy.
Pelosi again asserted the debunked claim that Trump incited an insurrection on January 6, even though he has never been charged with insurrection in any court of law. When people visit the Capitol, they will always see a tribute to the bravery, to the courage, to the patriotism, to the debt that we owe our law enforcement officers on that terrible day, Pelosi said, slurring her words as she spoke.
She went further, explicitly blaming Trump for the chaos that day in language that has become standard on the left but remains unsupported by any insurrection charge. They fought that for the Congress of the United States at a time when a instant an insurrection was incited by the president of the United States. Who could figure that that would ever happen? Pelosi said.
The California Democrat also invoked specific officers to heighten the emotional pitch of her remarks, describing dramatic scenes of violence and fear. I remember Michael Fanone being attacked mer un mercifully, getting a heart attack while it happens or a stroke, whatever, and his family having to live with that. Dunn protected my staff, my office was a target of all of this. Our staff had to go behind closed doors in the dark under tables with furniture pushed up to the door because they were banging on the door to get in to hurt them. Ill never forgive them for the trauma they caused not only my staff but all the staff on Capitol Hill, these young idealistic people, Pelosi said.
She also portrayed herself as a constitutional guardian abruptly pulled from danger, emphasizing her role presiding over the certification of the 2020 election. I remember being pulled off the podium. I was presiding because that was what we did. That day was the important uh day according to the Constitution that we would confirm the election of the president of the United States, she said.
Pelosi claimed she resisted efforts to move her to safety, casting her reluctance as concern for those assigned to protect her. And they pulled me from there and I said I can handle this. I thought they thought wed have some acting up which we used to handle this. No, you cant. You must leave immediately. My concern was about my own security because in protecting me they might have to be hurt themselves and I was so concerned about that, Pelosi added.
Her latest speech comes despite mounting evidence that the security failures on January 6 trace back to decisions made by Pelosis own office and other Democrat officials. Footage released in June 2024 by the House Oversight Committee shows Pelosi herself acknowledging responsibility for what unfolded at the Capitol, stating plainly, I take responsibility, in a moment that undercuts her current attempts to shift blame entirely onto Trump.
That same month, investigative journalist John Solomon at Just the News reported that Pelosis top security aides were warned the night before January 6 about the risk of a potential breach at the Capitol. Despite those warnings, Pelosi did not move to fully deploy the National Guard, even though she had the authority and opportunity to bolster security ahead of a highly charged protest that everyone knew would draw massive crowds.
Reports have long indicated that both Pelosi and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser rejected offers of thousands of National Guard troops prior to January 6. As previously reported by The Gateway Pundit, former Speaker Pelosi and Mayor Bowser were alerted to the security situation and still turned down additional Guard support at the Capitol, a decision that appears to have been driven by political calculations rather than public safety.
Compounding those failures, FBI Director Chris Wrays bureau did not adequately warn the Trump administration or key cabinet officials about the potential for large-scale unrest at the Capitol. The combination of withheld intelligence, rejected Guard support, and subsequent political exploitation of the chaos has fueled the view on the right that January 6 was less a spontaneous breakdown and more a preventable crisis that Democratic leadership allowed to spiral for partisan advantage.
Pelosi has since tried to deflect responsibility by insisting she never refused National Guard assistance, even when confronted directly. Last year, when a Lindell TV reporter pressed her on her role in withholding the Guard, Pelosi snapped, SHUT UP! I did not refuse the National Guard. The President didnt send it. Why are you coming here with Republican talking points as if you are a serious journalist! Pelosi said.
Her outbursts and shifting explanations stand in stark contrast to the documented warnings her office received and the video of her saying, I take responsibility. While Democrats continue to weaponize January 6 as a political bludgeon against Trump and his supporters, the unresolved questions about Pelosis own decisions on security, her refusal of additional troops, and the broader federal failures that day remain central for Americans who expect accountability from those in power, not just partisan theater at plaque unveilings.
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