Former co-chair of the Jan. 6 committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), expressed willingness to accept a preemptive pardon from President Biden, if he offered one.
Asked whether he wanted Biden to extend the pardon offer – amid reports that Biden is contemplating using his pardon power to protect individuals he believes could be targeted during a potential second Trump term – Thomson said he would consider accepting it.
“The president, it’s his prerogative,” Thompson told CNN’s Jim Acosta. “If he offers it, to me or other members of the committee, I think it, I would accept it, but it’s his choice.”
The former co-chair firmly stated that both the staff and witnesses “did nothing wrong,” defending the committee’s work.
“I think the staff of the committee who did a wonderful job; I think the witnesses who were primarily Republicans did a great job under oath. They were not found to have perjured themselves or anything like that,” Thompson continued.
“We’ve had two years of review by Republican chairpersons. They found nothing wrong,” he said. “We stand by the work of the committee. Our committee did a wonderful job. We shared it with the public, and all the public has to do is to read the report that we filed based on our report.”
Reportedly, Thompson’s comments forced an escalation of tension related to the committee’s work. The committee was established to look into the events that led to and included the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The former co-chair’s role in the committee was crucial; he chaired the eight-member panel largely influenced by Democrats. The committee interviewed a number of witnesses and gathered information. The findings were later presented in high-profile hearings about the former President Donald Trump’s actions, as well as issues related to security failures and political strategies, tied to the Capitol breach.
“Trump is suggesting that you ought to go to jail,” Acosta remarked to Thompson during the interview. “Are you concerned about him or the FBI pursuing you?”
Further, Thompson said that every member of the committee acted under the law.
In a new interview with Fox News, the chairman of the House Administration Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee, Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, stated that the former House Select Committee on Jan. 6 deleted more than 100 encrypted files from its probe just days before Republicans took over the majority in the House of Representatives.
The allegations raise questions about Thompson’s claim that nothing wrong took place. Loudermilk’s report claims that the committee “deleted records and hid evidence,” making the historical record of the investigation more complicated.
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Investigators revealed that then president Trump asked military leaders to secure the Capitol three days before the riot. However, Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller stated he had no plans to deploy troops.
The work of the January 6 committee divided people’s opinions.
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