Fact-checkers and official investigations have concluded that the claim of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi being responsible for the January 6th attack is false. Responsibility for the security failures rests with systemic intelligence breakdowns, the Capitol Police Board, and the individual actions of the rioters, who were incited by President Donald Trump.

Key Findings

Security Authority: The Speaker of the House does not have unilateral control over the Capitol's security or the authority to deploy the National Guard. That authority rests with the Capitol Police Board, which includes security officials appointed by both the Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader (at the time, Republican Mitch McConnell).

National Guard Deployment: Testimony from former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund indicates his request for National Guard assistance in advance was denied by the Sergeants at Arms (who were on the Capitol Police Board), not by Pelosi. When the Capitol was under attack, Pelosi and other congressional leaders urgently appealed to military leaders to deploy the National Guard.

Pelosi as a Target: Ample evidence, including video footage of rioters chanting her name while breaching her office, shows that Pelosi was a primary target of the attack, not its orchestrator.