Democrats are sounding the alarm that a Fox News host’s access to thousands of hours of security tape from the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol could further endanger the Capitol and trigger a new wave of misinformation

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the launch “one of the worst security risks since 9/11” in a letter to fellow senators Wednesday

Issued the following warning Axios information it’s House Speaker Kevin McCarthy grants Fox News host Tucker Carlson access to more than 40,000 hours of the tapes.

“The footage that Chairman McCarthy is making available to Fox News is a treasure trove of secret information about how the Capitol complex is being protected, and public release would compromise the security of the Legislative Branch and allow those who want to commit another attack to learn how. Congress is protected,” Schumer said.

Carlson said on his Monday night show his team was reviewing the security footage. He has been a key figure in spreading false claims related to the siege, including incorrect claims that “antifa” groups or the FBI could be to blame for the attack..

NPR has not independently confirmed Carlson’s computer has access to the images. Both Fox News and McCarthy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the letter, Schumer said that the footage could reveal the location of security cameras, which could make it difficult for the US Capitol Police to work. He also expressed concern that the video exposes “highly guarded plans for the continuity of government”.

Earlier Wednesday afternoon, House Democrats gathered virtually for a briefing on the matter, led in part by Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the former chair of the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, which completed its work in December.

“I am not comfortable with the knowledge that I have at this time that the security interests of the Capitol, the people who work there and the people who visit are protected,” said Thompson, now the ranking Democrat on the Security panel. Chamber National. . “There are some items… that should not be made available to the general public.”

Thompson went on to detail the painstaking process the select committee followed during its investigation to access the security footage, and he is concerned that the same procedures are not in place today.

The January 6 panel had a separate password-protected computer set up for committee staff to review security footage. Those staff members worked with the Capitol Police to coordinate what videos the committee wanted to share as part of its hearings.

“So without any knowledge of how this release [to Carlson] negotiated, it’s a concern,” Thompson said.

Some moderate Republicans have come out in favor of greater access to the tapes.

“Sunlight is the best medicine”, tweeted South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace.

The US Capitol Police had already shared the security footage with Congress, meaning top congressional leaders and committees can now access and share the tapes.

“When congressional leadership or congressional oversight committees ask for things like this, we must give it to them,” US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement.