Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell said Sunday that if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has her way, the Capitol will remain fenced because it feels like “a gated community” to her and “all her friends.”
“Well, first of all … let’s be clear that many D.C. politicians, Nancy Pelosi and all her friends love this. This is like living behind a gated community,” Grenell told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
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“They want to be away from the people anyway,” Grenell continued. “So in many ways they are loving the exclusivity of what’s happening in Capitol Hill.”
National Guard troops were deployed and fencing erected in Washington after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building on Jan. 6. (RELATED: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez: Ted Cruz ‘Almost Had Me Murdered’)
Grenell also suggested that Pelosi may not have been aware of intelligence that warned of the Capitol riot before it happened.
“What did Nancy Pelosi know? Why did they back down from having her come in and testify? Why can’t we get to the details here? This whole thing was a political show,” he said. “So let’s take them up on it and let’s get to the bottom of it.”
The former acting director of national intelligence suggested Pelosi’s staff may have attended intelligence briefings in the days before the riot, asking, “Did she know anything or did her staff know and did the staff get briefed instead of the speaker?”
Grenell said it would be a good idea to “go down to all of the … chairmen and chairwomen of the all of the different committees and say ‘Are you getting the briefing or are you pushing this off to the staff?'”
![WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 16: The U.S. Capitol is seen behind a fence with razor wire during sunrise on January 16, 2021 in Washington, DC. After last week's riots at the U.S. Capitol Building, the FBI has warned of additional threats in the nation's capital and in all 50 states. According to reports, as many as 25,000 National Guard soldiers will be guarding the city as preparations are made for the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th U.S. President. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)](https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1296690507-scaled-e1610809256384.jpg)
The U.S. Capitol is seen behind a fence with razor wire during sunrise on Jan. 16, 2021 in Washington, DC. After last week’s riots at the U.S. Capitol Building, the FBI has warned of additional threats in the nation’s capital and in all 50 states. According to reports, as many as 25,000 National Guard soldiers will be guarding the city as preparations are made for the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th U.S. President. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
He said staffers in Washington, D.C. can be “incredibly powerful” and are often “doing the heavy lifting” without telling the politicians for whom they work anything but “a couple of priorities.” (RELATED: Rep. Zeldin Says Democratic Election Plan Is To Call Republicans ‘White Supremacists, Extremist, Nazis’ Every Two Years)
The Capitol riot ultimately led to the impeachment of President Donald Trump by the House. The Senate voted 57-43 Saturday to acquit Trump of an impeachment charge. Before the vote, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated that he would vote to acquit Trump.
Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson has suggested the fencing remains in place to intimidate Trump supporters and Republican voters.