Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi snapped at a LindellTV reporter on Wednesday after being asked whether she’s concerned about being found liable for refusing to deploy the National Guard on January 6, 2021.
President Donald Trump has long maintained that Pelosi rejected his offer to send 10,000 troops to secure the Capitol ahead of the Stop the Steal rally.
Outside the Capitol, the reporter pressed Pelosi on whether the new January 6 subcommittee might hold her accountable for that decision.
“Congresswoman Pelosi, are you at all concerned that the January 6 Select Committee will find you liable for that day? Are you at all concerned about the January 6 Committee finding you liable for that day? Why did you refuse the National Guard on January 6?” the reporter asked.
Pelosi spun around and jabbed a finger toward her.
“Shut up!” Pelosi barked. “I did not refuse the National Guard, the president didn’t send it. Why are you coming here with Republican talking points as if you’re a serious journalist?”
Pelosi stormed off without answering further.
The exchange reignited scrutiny over Pelosi’s own words, caught on HBO footage released in June 2024, where she appeared to accept responsibility for the lack of police preparedness on that day.
“You’re gonna ask me in the middle of the thing, when they’ve already breached the inaugural stuff, ‘should we call the Capitol Police?’ I mean the National Guard. Why weren’t the National Guard there to begin with?” Pelosi said in the footage.
Watch the clip below:
REPORTER: “Why did you refuse the National Guard on January 6th?”
NANCY PELOSI: "SHUT UP! I did not refuse the National Guard. Why are you here with Republican talking points, as if you're a serious journalist."
Absolute meltdown.
pic.twitter.com/5oAMv4dumf— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 15, 2025
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