Senate Republican Leader McConnell slams Fox and Tucker Carlson for Jan. 6 portrayal

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., says he agrees with a letter by the Capitol Police chief as he speaks to reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

J. Scott Applewhite / J. Scott Applewhite

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell joined a chorus of widespread attacks on Fox News host Tucker Carlson for his portrayal of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol since he accessed more than 40,000 hours of security footage.

Carlson and his team had exclusive access to the security tape surrounding the attack thanks to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, drawing concerns the host would use the tapes to spread a new wave of disinformation.

McConnell said he aligned himself with remarks issued earlier Tuesday by U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger to his rank-and-file slamming Carlson’s “offensive and misleading conclusions” about the siege. He held up Manger’s one-page statement — called “Truth & Justice” — near the Senate chamber on Tuesday.