California Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy upheld his decision on Tuesday to temporarily grant Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson exclusive access to 41,000 hours of Capitol video starting January 6, 2021.

McCarthy responded with a resounding “No” when reporters asked him if he regretted his action, according to The Hill. “Transparency, as I indicated at the outset. So, exactly as I stated, I wanted to produce something for everyone “explained McCarthy. The public might actually view it and observe the events of that day.

The speaker refused to back up Carlson’s claims. The unseen footage proved that the Capitol protest was not a “deadly rebellion.” McCarthy claimed he was unaware of the Fox News anchor’s Monday evening remarks.

“I still maintain that my responsibility in this situation is to ensure that all of the transparency is revealed, as I was asked to do previously. And that’s exactly what I’m doing, he continued, pointing out that journalists can “interpret whichever they want.”

According to the outlet, McCarthy later criticized the rally again on January 6.

McCarthy’s decision to give Fox News early access to the 41,000 hours of tapes and Carlson’s subsequent reporting on it has been condemned by Democrats in Congress, the Sicknick family, and the Biden administration.

The memo from Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, which stated that Carlson’s show was spreading “offensive and inaccurate conclusions about the Jan. 6 incident,” was supported by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, who admitted his support on Tuesday.

McConnell told reporters, “I think it was a mistake for Fox News to portray this in a way absolutely at odds with what our leading law enforcement official here at the Capitol,” said.

McCarthy stated late last month that the surveillance tape would be shared “out to the entire country” after Fox News aired it during primetime.