Pelosi tells reporter to be quiet as GOP forms Jan 6 security subcommittee

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told a reporter to "shut up" on Wednesday as she left the U.S. Capitol after being pressed about whether a newly formed Republican-led subcommittee will hold her responsible for the January 6, 2021 attack and whether she had refused to authorize the National Guard that day. The exchange, which drew direct criticism from both sides of the dispute over accountability for the security failures that day, briefly interrupted her departure down the Capitol steps.

A reporter identified as Alison Steinberg approached Pelosi and asked repeatedly whether the new panel would find her liable and why she had refused the National Guard on January 6. Pelosi turned, pointed and replied, "Shut up. 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 are a serious journalist?" She then walked away.

The confrontation comes as House Republicans approved a select subcommittee, chaired by Representative Barry Loudermilk, to revisit security preparations and responses surrounding the Capitol breach. Republicans say the new inquiry will reexamine earlier findings; Democrats say the focus...