House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has made a series of unfortunate decisions during his seven-week tenure, but among the most extraordinary relates to Jan. 6 security camera footage. As we learned this week, the California Republican decided it’d be a good idea to provide Fox News’ Tucker Carlson with exclusive access to thousands of hours of sensitive recordings.

This did not go unnoticed by the GOP leader’s counterpart in the upper chamber. NBC News reported:

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s reported decision to hand over thousands of hours of security video from the Jan. 6 attack to conservative Fox News host Tucker Carlson “poses grave security risks” to lawmakers and others who work in the Capitol. And it could lead to another assault on the building, Schumer, D-N.Y., warned in a letter to Senate colleagues.

In an eight-paragraph “dear colleague” letter to members of his conference, the New York Democrat was largely unrestrained in his critique of the circumstances, alleging that McCarthy’s decision was the result of a private side deal the Republican struck “to get the votes he needed from the MAGA wing of the House Republican Conference to become speaker.”

Schumer went on to argue that McCarthy’s move “is needlessly exposing the Capitol complex to one of the worst security risks since 9/11. The footage Speaker McCarthy is making available to Fox News is a treasure trove of closely held information about how the Capitol complex is protected and its public release would compromise the safety of the Legislative Branch and allow those who want to commit another attack to learn how Congress is safeguarded.

“Releasing security footage publicly reveals the location of security cameras across the Capitol grounds, making it harder and more dangerous for our brave Capitol police officers to do their job. It also risks exposing the carefully laid out and highly guarded plans for the continuity of government, intended to preserve our democracy in the event of an attack. All things anyone who would want to harm our country would love to learn.”

What’s more, the Senate majority leader raised specific concerns, not just about the disclosure, but also about the controversial television personality who’s gained access to the sensitive footage.

“[B]y handpicking Tucker Carlson, Speaker McCarthy laid bare that this sham is simply about pandering to MAGA election deniers, not the truth. Tucker Carlson has no fidelity to the truth or facts and has used his platform to promote the Big Lie, distort reality, and espouse bogus conspiracy theories about January 6. If the past is any indication, Tucker Carlson will select only clips that he can use to twist the facts to sow doubt of what happened on January 6 and feed into the propaganda he’s already put on Fox News’ air, which based on recent reports he may not even believe himself.”

That final point, of course, was a reference to a recent court filing that presented evidence of Fox News hosts, including Carlson, deliberately promoting bogus election claims they knew to be false in order to pander to their audience and make more money.

Schumer’s letter concluded, “Let me be clear, the Senate strongly objects to the release of this sensitive security footage to Tucker Carlson and Fox News. The speaker — nor any elected official — does not have the right to jeopardize the safety of senators nor Senate and Capitol staff for their own political purposes. Period. Full stop.”

The Senate Democratic leader objections, however, did not include any specific remedies: Schumer isn’t in a position to block McCarthy’s plan. Indeed, according to Carlson, he and his team have already gained access to roughly 44,000 hours of security footage — and as far as the host is concerned, the access is “unfettered.” It appears no one is in a position to un-ring the bell.

But there may be other options. The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent noted this morning that after the Republican speaker extended access to Carlson, “the Capitol Police explained that they are required to release it to congressional leaders or oversight committees that demand it.”

Greg added, “It turns out this applies to minority leaders, too. … [A] Capitol Police spokesperson confirms that Democrats can access it in a GOP-controlled House.”

If that’s right, what’s to stop Democratic leaders from extending similar access to legitimate news organizations and professional journalists with some security protocols in place?