Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) defended his decision to release footage of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, splitting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who blasted the move after the conservative media personality downplayed the severity of the siege.

The California Republican repeatedly sidestepped questions on whether he agreed with Carlson’s assertion that the riot was “mostly peaceful chaos,” telling reporters that he “didn't see what was aired” and decided to provide the video in an effort to increase transparency.

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"I didn't see what was aired. What I want to do exactly is give transparency to everybody, and everybody can make up their own conclusion,” he said.

McCarthy’s decision to provide the footage to Carlson was met with sharp criticism from Democrats and some within the GOP, who argued that Carlson has spread misinformation on an array of topics.

Following Carlson’s segment, which aired Monday evening, McConnell, who did not directly criticize McCarthy, told reporters it was "a mistake for Fox News."

The Kentucky Republican pointed to U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger’s remarks in a letter stating that Carlson “conveniently cherry-picked from the calmer moments of our 41,000 hours of video,” lacked context and slammed allegations that late Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick’s death was unrelated to the riot, with Manger calling it “the most disturbing accusation from last night.”

“With regard to the presentation on Fox News last night, I want to associate myself entirely with the opinion of the chief of the Capitol Police about what happened on Jan. 6,” McConnell said. “Clearly, the chief of the Capitol Police, in my view, correctly described what most of us witnessed firsthand on Jan. 6."

McCarthy argued that McConnell should be concerned about CNN revealing leaders’ locations during the attack on the Capitol when asked about the senator's remarks.

“I hope McConnell would have been concerned with CNN,” McCarthy said.

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When pressed by a reporter on whether he agreed with Carlson’s assessment, McCarthy quipped, "Well, that's what you said. I don't know what Tucker Carlson said."