Politics
GOP releases Jan. 6 clip of Pelosi saying 'I take responsibility' as she discussed National Guard absence
A previously-unreleased video taken on Jan. 6, 2021 shows then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., saying she takes “responsibility” for law enforcement’s lack of preparedness when a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol that day.
A Tweet on X by a House Republican panel contains video that appears to show a frustrated Pelosi being evacuated from the Capitol complex and in intense conversation with Chief of Staff Terri McCullough about how the evacuation was conducted.
“We have responsibility, Terri. We did not have any accountability for what was going on there. And we should have,” Pelosi says in the video, which was reviewed in its original form by Fox News Digital. “This is ridiculous. You’re going to ask me in the middle of the thing when they’ve already breached…that, should we call the Capitol Police? I mean the National Guard? Why weren’t the National Guard there to begin with?”
Her aide appeared to reply that Capitol security did believe they were prepared, to which Pelosi continued, “They clearly didn’t know, and I take responsibility for not having them just prepared for more.”
DOJ WILL NOT TURN OVER BIDEN’S RECORDED INTERVIEW WITH SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR TO CONGRESS
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the subject of newly unearthed video from Jan. 6, 2021 (Getty Images)
Pelosi then appears to take a shot at former President Trump’s supporters, who ransacked part of the Capitol including her office.
“It’s stupid that we should be in a situation like this, because they thought they had what- they thought these people would act civilized? They thought these people would give a damn?” Pelosi said. “What is it that is missing here in terms of anticipation? They give us a piece of paper that says walk through the tunnel, don’t walk outside. That’s your preparation?”
When reached for comment on the video, a spokesperson for Pelosi told Fox News Digital, “Numerous independent fact-checkers have confirmed again and again that Speaker Pelosi did not plan her own assassination on January 6th.”
BALANCE OF POWER: MESSY GOP PRIMARIES COULD BOOST DEMOCRATS IN SWING STATE RACES
The video showed her being evacuated as Trump supporters stormed the Capitol (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
“As the footage in its entirety plainly shows, Speaker Pelosi sprang into action in response to the attack on the Capitol — mobilizing the defense of the Capitol, urging the Administration to deploy the National Guard and coordinating the continuity of government. Cherry-picked, out-of-context clips do not change the fact that the Speaker of the House is not in charge of the security of the Capitol Complex — on January 6th or any other day of the week,” the spokesperson said. “Three years later, House Republicans are still attempting to whitewash the deadly insurrection.”
House Republicans, however, say the clip undercuts Pelosi’s assertions that Trump was to blame for the Jan. 6 riot.
HOUSE GOP REPORT ALLEGES JAN 6 COMMITTEE ‘DELETED RECORDS AND HID EVIDENCE’
Fox News Digital obtained the clip from the House Administration Committee’s subcommittee on oversight, which is led by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (Getty images)
“Pelosi’s J6 Select Committee spent taxpayer’s money chasing false political narratives and using Hollywood producers for their ‘investigation.’ Her admission of responsibility directly contradicts their own narrative,” tweeted Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., chair the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight.
Fox News Digital reached out to Loudermilk for further comment.
Senior government officials mistakenly invited the editor in chief of the Atlantic to a group chat on the messaging app Signal, where the focus of conversation was U.S. airstrikes against rebel groups in Yemen. The app’s use by high-ranking national security officials has raised the question: Just how secure is Signal anyway?
On March 11, Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic was accidentally invited by the Trump administration’s national security advisor to connect on Signal. In the following days, Goldberg was added to a group chat that spoke of “operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying and attack sequencing,” according to his reporting.
Signal is a free app that cybersecurity experts consider to be one of the most secure messaging services because of its end-to-end encryption.
Simply put, text messages or calls are seen only by you, the sender and whoever is in your Signal group chat.
“We can’t read your messages or listen to your calls, and no one else can either,” the Signal website states.
If you’re using only your smartphone’s default messaging app, such as Apple’s iMessage or Google Messages, there is a chance your messages won’t be secure. This happens when you’re an iPhone user who texts an Android user, because you’re messaging from different platforms. Messages are end-to-end encrypted only if both people are using the same app.
Signal also touts user protection because it doesn’t use ads and doesn’t track user data. It collects only minimal user data, such as your phone number, the date you joined Signal and the last date you logged on to the app.
Aside from top government officials, journalists and advocates use the app, but it’s not limited to these groups of people.
With Signal in the news, experts are weighing in on whether the average user should consider it as an option for your everyday communication.
Why should you care about encrypted messaging?
Encrypted messaging “protects more than national secrets; it protects everyday privacy,” said Vahid Behzadan, assistant professor of cybersecurity and networks, data and computer science at the University of New Haven.
Most people unknowingly share sensitive information via text, such as personal addresses, passwords for Netflix and other accounts, or photos, according to Iskander Sanchez-Rola, director of artificial intelligence and innovation for Norton.
Encrypted apps ensure your messages are seen only by the person you intended to reach — and not third parties. That also means your “internet service provider or any potential malicious actors on your network won’t be able to see them either,” Sanchez-Rola said.
Cybercriminals are paying attention to your messages.
In December the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency stated that hackers affiliated with China’s government, called Salt Typhoon, waged an attack on commercial telecommunications companies to steal users’ data and prompted federal authorities to recommend everyone use only end-to-end encrypted communications.
“Ninety percent of all cyberthreats now originate from scams and social engineering threats — a figure that has almost tripled since 2021,” Sanchez-Rola said. “Everyday activities like forwarding messages or even clicking links and attachments can open the door to risks if your information isn’t properly protected.”
By using a messaging app that ensures end-to-end encryption, Behzadan said, you’re protecting yourself from data breaches and identity theft, and corporate tracking and targeted advertising, and ensuring confidentiality in professional or legal communications, freedom from surveillance or unauthorized access, and insurance against potential policy or government changes that may erode privacy rights.
“In short, encryption helps preserve digital dignity and autonomy in an increasingly connected world,” he said.
How is Signal a standout from other messaging apps when it comes to privacy?
All communications (messages, calls and video chats) are end-to-end encrypted by default, so you don’t have to go out of your way to ensure it’s a feature,” Behzadan said.
Unlike many platforms, Signal does not store metadata about who users communicate with, when or where.
“Its encryption protocol, the open-source Signal Protocol, is widely regarded as the gold standard in secure messaging and is even used by WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger for certain chats,” he said.
Signal’s nonprofit structure also sets it apart: The organization doesn’t monetize user data, which reduces incentives for surveillance or advertising-driven features.
Sanchez-Rola added a few more features that amplify securing your privacy:
- Screenshot blocker. This prevents malicious apps on your phone from accessing screenshots, but doesn’t prevent other people from taking screenshots of your conversations.
- Disappearing messages. Messages automatically delete after a set time, configurable from five seconds to four weeks, after they’ve been read. So even if a malicious app gains access to your phone, it won’t be able to retrieve messages that have been deleted.
- Single-view media. This allows you to send photos, videos and voice messages that are automatically deleted from the recipient’s device after they’ve been opened once.
- Incognito keyboard. This prevents third-party keyboard apps from potentially collecting data about your typing, offering an extra layer of privacy, especially when sending sensitive information.
- Usernames versus phone numbers. You can talk to people on Signal without needing to know their phone number — just by using their Signal username. This provides an extra layer of privacy.
How effective is Signal in protecting your privacy?
Signal’s terms of service state you “are responsible for keeping your device and your Signal account safe and secure.”
“The effectiveness of encryption isn’t just about the technology; it also depends on how individuals use it. Encryption works best as part of a larger cybersecurity strategy,” Sanchez-Rola said.
Behzadan shared a few important best practices. They include:
- Enabling disappearing messages for sensitive chats.
- Verifying safety numbers with trusted contacts.
- Setting a strong PIN or enabling biometric lock.
- Keeping the app and device updated.
- Avoiding screenshots or storing sensitive info on unsecured devices.
“The recent incident involving U.S. officials underscores this: Even the most secure technology can’t prevent human error, like adding the wrong person to a group chat,” Behzadan said. “In cybersecurity, the weakest link is often the human element.”
What are other encrypted messaging apps?
While Signal is the top recommendation among security experts, other apps offer encrypted messaging with varying trade-offs:
- WhatsApp: Uses the Signal Protocol but is owned by Meta and collects more metadata.
- Threema: A Swiss-based app that doesn’t require a phone number and focuses on privacy, though it has a smaller user base.
- Element (Matrix protocol): A decentralized and open-source option, popular among tech-savvy communities.
- Wickr: Used in enterprise and government settings and now owned by Amazon.
The best choice depends on your specific needs, your threat model and what platforms your contacts use, because encryption works only if both parties use the same secure platform.
Even before he disclosed secret battle plans for Yemen in a group chat, information that could have endangered American fighter pilots, it had been a rocky two months for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Mr. Hegseth, a former National Guard infantryman and Fox News weekend host, started his job at the Pentagon determined to out-Trump President Trump, Defense Department officials and aides said.
The president is skeptical about the value of NATO and European alliances, so the Pentagon under Mr. Hegseth considered plans in which the United States would give up its command role overseeing NATO troops. After Mr. Trump issued executive orders targeting transgender people, Mr. Hegseth ordered a ban on transgender troops.
Mr. Trump has embraced Elon Musk, the billionaire chief executive of SpaceX and Tesla. The Pentagon planned a sensitive briefing to give Mr. Musk a firsthand look at how the military would fight a war with China, a potentially valuable step for any businessman with interests there.
In all of those endeavors, Mr. Hegseth was pulled back, by congressional Republicans, the courts or even Mr. Trump.
The president made clear last Friday that he had been caught by surprise by a report in The New York Times on the Pentagon’s briefing for Mr. Musk, who oversees an effort to shrink the government, but also denied that the meeting had been planned.
“I don’t want to show that to anybody, but certainly you wouldn’t show it to a businessman who is helping us so much,” Mr. Trump said.
But Mr. Hegseth’s latest mistake could have led to catastrophic consequences.
On Monday, the editor in chief of The Atlantic magazine, Jeffrey Goldberg, wrote that he had been inadvertently included in an encrypted group chat in which Mr. Hegseth discussed plans for targeting the Houthi militia in Yemen two hours before U.S. troops launched attacks against the group.
The White House confirmed Mr. Goldberg’s account. But Mr. Hegseth later denied that he put war plans in the group chat, which apparently included other senior members of Mr. Trump’s national security team.
In disclosing the aircraft, targets and timing for hitting Houthi militia sites in Yemen on the commercial messaging app Signal, Mr. Hegseth risked the lives of American war fighters.
Across the military on Monday and Tuesday, current and retired troops and officers expressed dismay and anger in social media posts, secret chat groups and the hallways of the Pentagon.
“My father was killed in action flying night-trail interdiction over the Ho Chi Minh Trail” after a North Vietnamese strike, said the retired Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton, who served in the Iraq war. “And now, you have Hegseth. He has released information that could have directly led to the death of an American fighter pilot.”
It was unclear on Tuesday whether anyone involved in the Signal group chat would lose their jobs. Republicans in Congress have been wary of running afoul of Mr. Trump. But Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi and the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, indicated on Monday that there would be some kind of investigation.
John R. Bolton, a national security adviser in the first Trump administration, said on social media that he doubted that “anyone will be held to account for events described by The Atlantic unless Donald Trump himself feels the heat.”
In his article, Mr. Goldberg said he was added to the chat by Michael Waltz, Mr. Trump’s current national security adviser.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump defended Mr. Waltz. “Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” Mr. Trump said in an interview on NBC.
The president added that Mr. Goldberg’s presence in the group chat had “no impact at all” and that the Houthi attacks were “perfectly successful.”
To be sure, some of Mr. Hegseth’s stumbles have been part of the learning process of a high-profile job leading a department with an $850-billion-a-year budget.
“Secretary Hegseth is trying to figure out where the president’s headed, and to run there ahead of him,” said Kori Schake, a national security expert at the American Enterprise Institute. But, she added, “he’s doing performative activities. He’s not yet demonstrated that he’s running the department.”
Peter Feaver, a political science professor at Duke University who has studied the military for decades, said the Signal chat disclosure “raises serious questions about how a new accountability standard might apply: How would he handle a situation like this if it involved one of his subordinates?”
On Monday, Mr. Hegseth left for Asia, his first trip abroad since a foray to Europe last month in which he was roundly criticized for going further on Ukraine than his boss had at the time. He posted a video on social media of himself guarded by two female airmen in full combat gear as he boarded the plane at Joint Base Andrews. The show of security was remarkable. Not even the president is guarded that way as he boards Air Force One.
When he landed in Hawaii several hours later, Mr. Hegseth criticized Mr. Goldberg as a “so-called journalist” and asserted that “nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that.”
Mr. Hegseth’s stumbles started soon after he was sworn in to lead the Pentagon on Jan. 25.
In his debut on the world stage in mid-February, he told NATO and Ukrainian ministers that a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders, before Russia’s first invasion, was “an unrealistic objective” and ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine. A few hours later, Mr. Trump backed him up while announcing a phone call with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to begin peace negotiations.
Facing blowback the next day from European allies and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, Mr. Hegseth denied that either he or Mr. Trump had sold out Ukraine. “There is no betrayal there,” Mr. Hegseth said.
That was not how even Republican supporters of Mr. Hegseth saw it. “He made a rookie mistake in Brussels,” Mr. Wicker said about the secretary’s comment on Ukraine’s borders.
“I don’t know who wrote the speech — it is the kind of thing Tucker Carlson could have written, and Carlson is a fool,” Mr. Wicker said, referring to the conservative media personality and former Fox News host.
Mr. Hegseth sought to recover later in the week, saying he had simply been trying to “introduce realism into the expectations of our NATO allies.” How much territory Ukraine may cede to Russia would be decided in talks between Mr. Trump and the presidents of the warring countries, he said.
Last week, Mr. Hegseth again got crosswise with Mr. Wicker over reports that the Trump administration was planning to withdraw from NATO’s military command and reduce the number of troops deployed overseas in addition to other changes to the military’s combatant commands.
Mr. Wicker and Representative Mike Rogers, Republican of Alabama and the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that they were concerned about reports that the Defense Department might be planning changes “absent coordination with the White House and Congress.”
Other signs point to a dysfunctional Pentagon on Mr. Hegseth’s watch.
Last week, the Defense Department removed an online article about the military background of Jackie Robinson, who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in 1947, after serving in the Army.
The article — which reappeared after a furor — was one in a series of government web pages on Black figures that have vanished under the Trump administration’s efforts to purge government websites of references to diversity and inclusion.
In response to questions about the article, John Ullyot, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that “D.E.I. is dead at the Defense Department,” referring to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. He added that he was pleased with the department’s “rapid compliance” with a directive ordering that diversity-related content be removed from all platforms.
Mr. Ullyot was removed from his position shortly afterward.
Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said in a video that the screening of Defense Department content for “D.E.I. content” was “an incredibly important undertaking,” but he acknowledged mistakes were made.
The Pentagon leadership under Mr. Trump expressed its disdain for the military’s decades-long efforts to diversify its ranks. Last month, Mr. Hegseth said that the “single dumbest phrase in military history is ‘our diversity is our strength.’”
Mr. Hegseth also came under sharp critique from the federal judge handling a lawsuit against his efforts to ban transgender troops. “The military ban is soaked in animus and dripping with pretext,” Judge Ana C. Reyes of U.S. District Court in Washington wrote in a scathing ruling last week.
“Its language is unabashedly demeaning, its policy stigmatizes transgender persons as inherently unfit and its conclusions bear no relation to fact,” she wrote in her decision temporarily blocking the ban. “Seriously? These were not off-the-cuff remarks at a cocktail party.”
Greg Jaffe contributed reporting.
President Donald Trump defended National Security Advisor Michael Waltz during an ambassador meeting on Monday, as his administration faces fierce backlash over the recent Signal text chain leak.
Waltz, whose staffers had unknowingly added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat where Secretary of State Pete Hegseth and others discussed sensitive war plans, has come under fire for the blunder. Speaking to a room full of reporters, Trump said he believes Waltz is “doing his best.”
“I don’t think he should apologize,” the president said. “I think he’s doing his best. It’s equipment and technology that’s not perfect.”
“And, probably, he won’t be using it again, at least not in the very near future,” he added.
TRUMP NOMINATES SUSAN MONAREZ TO BECOME THE NEXT CDC DIRECTOR, SAYS AMERICANS ‘LOST CONFIDENCE’ IN AGENCY
U.S. President Donald Trump listens during an Ambassador Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Goldberg was added to the national security discussion, called “Houthi PC Small Group”, earlier in March. He was able to learn about attacks against Houthi fighters in Yemen long before the public.
“According to the lengthy Hegseth text, the first detonations in Yemen would be felt two hours hence, at 1:45 p.m. eastern time,” Goldberg wrote in his piece about the experience. “So I waited in my car in a supermarket parking lot. If this Signal chat was real, I reasoned, Houthi targets would soon be bombed. At about 1:55, I checked X and searched Yemen. Explosions were then being heard across Sanaa, the capital city.”
Though Goldberg’s inclusion in the chat did not foil the military’s plans, the national security breach has still stunned both supporters and critics of the Trump administration. During the Tuesday meeting, Trump also said that he was in contact with Waltz over whether hackers can break into Signal conversations.
IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES HIT JUDGE WHO ORDERED TRUMP TO STOP DEPORTATION FLIGHTS
National Security advisor Mike Waltz speaks as he sits with U.S. President Donald Trump during an Ambassador Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Are people able to break into conversations? And if that’s true, we’re gonna have to find some other form of device,” Trump said. “And I think that’s something that we may have to do. Some people like Signal very much, other people probably don’t, but we’ll look into it.”
“Michael, I’ve asked you to immediately study that and find out if people are able to break into a system,” he added.
In response, Waltz assured Trump that he has White House technical experts “looking at” the situation, along with legal teams.
U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a reporter’s question during an Ambassador Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“And of course, we’re going to keep everything as secure as possible,” the national security official said. “No one in your national security team would ever put anyone in danger. And as you said, we’ve repeatedly said the attack was phenomenal, and it’s ongoing.”
Scary AI-powered swarm robots team up to build cars faster than ever
Shailene Woodley and Lucas Bravo show how to do unkempt and enamored
Alleged 'Scream' Gangbang Teacher Ordered to Stay Away From Alleged Victims, New Bikini Pics
U.S. officials used Signal to share war plans. What is the messaging app and is it safe?
Prep baseball roundup: No. 1 Corona, No. 2 Huntington Beach win Boras Classic openers
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
No, Norway and Sweden haven't banned digital transactions
Wednesday briefing: Just how bad was the White House accidentally leaking military plans over Signal?
Signal Leak Puts Mike Waltz, Trump’s National Security Adviser, in Hot Seat
Trump says Waltz doesn't need to apologize over Signal text chain leak: 'Doing his best'
At least six people killed in Israeli attacks on southern Syria
-
News1 week agoVance to Lead G.O.P. Fund-Raising, an Apparent First for a Vice President
-
News1 week agoTrump Administration Ends Tracking of Kidnapped Ukrainian Children in Russia
-
Technology1 week agoThe head of a Biden program that could help rural broadband has left
-
Business1 week agoEgg Prices Have Dropped, Though You May Not Have Noticed
-
News1 week agoBlack Lives Matter Plaza Is Gone. Its Erasure Feels Symbolic.
-
News7 days agoTrump’s Ending of Hunter Biden’s Security Detail Raises Questions About Who Gets Protection
-
News1 week agoU.S. to Withdraw From Group Investigating Responsibility for Ukraine Invasion
-
World7 days agoCommission warns Alphabet and Apple they're breaking EU digital rules