Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the Jan. 6 committee, began what is likely the last hearing from the panel investigating the 2021 Capitol riot by asserting the nonpartisan nature of their investigation.
The Mississippi Democrat said all of the major evidence related to former President Donald Trump’s ties and knowledge of the riot have come from Republicans who worked in closely with him.
“When you look back at what has come out [of] this committee’s work, the most striking fact is that all this evidence has come almost entirely from Republicans,” Mr. Thompson said in his opening remarks.
Most Republicans dismiss the committee’s probe as a partisan sham to inflict political damage on Mr. Trump and his supporters and block Mr. Trump from again running for president.
Defending the probe, Mr. Thompson highlighted former Trump White House aides, Trump administration officials and other GOP officials who have testified or cooperated with the committee’s probe.
“I’ve served in Congress a long time and I can tell you it’s tough for any congressional investigation to obtain evidence like what we’ve seen, least of all such a detailed view into a president’s inner circle,” Mr. Thompson said.
All nine members are expected to speak at the hearing before issuing a report on their findings on the causes and response of the riot, which the committee characterizes as an attempted “coup.”
Thursday’s hearing is focused on what Mr. Trump knew ahead of the riot and what warnings he was given about the potential for violence.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
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