Joe Kovacs was full of sneering in an Oct. 15 WorldNetDaily article:
U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., went ballistic on a reporter Wednesday when she was confronted about her role in the Capitol mayhem of Jan. 6, 2021, and why she did not have the National Guard present to quell violence.
Outside the Capitol, the former speaker of the House was asked by Alison Steinberg of Lindell TV: “Congresswoman Pelosi, are you at all concerned that the January 6th Committee will find you liable for that?
“Are at all concerned about the January 6th Committee finding you liable for that day?
“Why did you refuse the National Guard on January 6th?”
Pelosi, who was obviously disturbed by the questions, snapped at Steinberg.
“SHUT UP!” Pelosi screamed as she pointed her finger at the correspondent.
“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?”
Steinberg replied: “The American people want to know! We still have questions!”
Pelosi then slithered away and Steinberg turned and offered a slight smile to the camera after being repudiated.
Note that Kovacs failed to disclose the fact that LindellTV is a far-right outlet and that Steinberg clearly meant this as a gotcha question — and that he used pejorative language like “slithered away” that no real reporter wouild use.
By contrast, here’s a somewhat more balanced take on the same incident:
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), former Speaker of the House, told a right-wing reporter to “shut up” in response to a question about actions she took on Jan. 6, 2021.
A reporter for LindellTV, an outlet founded by Trump ally Mike Lindell, followed Pelosi out of the Capitol on Wednesday and repeatedly pressed her about a debunked claim that the former Speaker denied requests to send in the National Guard when the Capitol was under attack nearly five years ago.
“Are you at all concerned about the new January 6th committee finding you liable for that day?” the reporter, Alison Steinberg, asked Pelosi. “Why did you refuse the National Guard on January 6th?”
Pelosi, flocked by aides, turned around to address the reporter’s claim.
“Shut up,” Pelosi said. “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 asked.
Steinberg responded: “The American people want to know. We still have questions. Thank you.”
Trump and his allies have long claimed the president made a “recommendation for troops” on Jan. 6, 2021, but that Pelosi denied his request. A congressional investigation into the attack found that Trump made no such request.
The Speaker of the House does not have authority over the National Guard.
Kovacs also failed to disclose how Steinberg’s claims were false; instead, he took refuge in a claim that “former Capitol Police Cheif Steven Sund exposed the failures of the California Democrat in January 2021” without disclosing that these too were false.