In never-before-seen footage from Jan. 6, 2021, obtained by CNN, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says she would punch then-President Donald Trump if he followed through on his threat to come to the United States Capitol with supporters.
“Tell him, if he comes here, we’re going to the White House,” jokes Pelosi, reacting to Trump’s speech during his “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse, just south of the White House.
During that speech, Trump encouraged his supporters to “fight like hell” to “take back our country” and urged them to march to the Capitol to protest the certification of the Electoral College vote that was pending.
Pelosi’s chief of staff then informs him that the Secret Service dissuaded Trump from coming to the Capitol for security reasons, but “that could change.”
“I hope he comes. I’m going to hit him,” Pelosi fumes. “I was expecting this. For trespassing on Capitol grounds. I will hit him. And I’m going to jail, and I’m going to be happy.
The footage helps corroborate the account of former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified before the January 6 House Select Committee in June that Trump tried to force the Secret Service to take her away. at the Capitol even after informing him that they were unable to due to security reasons.
Other videos released during Thursday’s hearing by the committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, showed Pelosi and other top lawmakers working behind the scenes as the crowd of Trump supporters ransacked the Capitol. Lawmakers sought to get more law enforcement to protect the building and tried to find a way to complete voter certification from another location, such as the Army’s Fort McNair.
“We have to finish the process or they will have a complete victory,” Pelosi says in a clip, emphasizing the need to show the nation that the mob cannot upset the democratic process.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
