The Face of Leadership
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In the days following the final 1/6 House Select Committee hearing, the panel made the decision to publicly release video footage of House and Senate members actions during the Capitol insurrection, after they had taken refuge in a protected, undisclosed location. The real time video was produced by the daughter of House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi(D), Alexandra Pelosi, who is a well-known documentarian. The videos show specifically what political leadership looks like in a moment of crisis.
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Speaker Pelosi is seen feverishly calling, with an infuriated attitude, Trump appointed Department of Justice Attorney General, Bill Barr, demanding security action to save members of the working government. She is also seen making calls to senior civilian and military leaders at the Department of Defense and the Pentagon. The tenor of her call remarks was to mandate to Republican agency directors to immediately provide military intervention to stem the violence inside the Capitol building and expel anti-democratic, domestic extremist. Additionally, Pelosi begins to question these individuals about the absence of the National Guard and local law enforcement? In the background, Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer(D) and Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell(R) can be seen making calls with the same intent.
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What is most striking about the footage is Pelosi’s resolve to secure the Capitol building as quickly as possible so congressional leadership could resume their lawfully assigned task for that day, to move forward and certify the electoral college votes, confirming Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory. The Speaker understood, that for all the events of the day, the most important act was ensuring that political power was transferred from one party to another. Extraordinary times. Exceptional leadership.