General Comments on the January 6 Committee: The Importance of Bennie Thompson

I don't know what role Bennie Thompson plays behind the scene in January 6 Committee, although I don't recall any of the clips playing testimony in which he asked questions.  Certainly he has not dominated the public hearings the way that Adam Schiff dominated to first impeachment, or the way (to a lesser extent) that Jamie Raskin dominated the second impeachment.  Thompson's public role has been mostly ceremonial.  He calls the committee to order and adjourns.  He makes brief introductory and conclusory remarks, swears in the witnesses, and often asks a few superficial questions, leaving the in-depth questioning and the presentations to the questioner(s) of the day. 

To the extent that anyone has publicly dominated the hearings, it has been Liz Cheney.  As vice chair, Cheney gives the detailed opening and closing statements explaining in depth what the Committee will present, and what to expect next time.  She also questioned Cassidy Hutchinson, perhaps the most shocking witness to date.  She also asks questions during some of the pre-recorded testimony.  

And it isn't just Liz Cheney who overshadows Thompson.  He is also overshadowed, to a lesser extent, by Adam Kinzinger as the only other Republican on the Committee, Adam Schiff as first impeachment manager, and Jamie Raskin as second impeachment manager.  Any really, every member of the Committee has had as least one day in the spotlight -- one opportunity to ask witnesses and present evidence -- except for Thompson.

Bennie Thompson

And yet I have come to the conclusion that Thompson brings something to the Committee that none of the others could offer, and that there is a reason why Nancy Pelosi chose him.  Or perhaps it might be more accurate to say, there is a reason Pelosi chose a 74-year-old Black man from Mississippi.  And yes, I understand at this point that right wingers will be outraged that I suggest that race should be a factor.  To which I say, Thompson's race is a factor -- as is his age and state of origin.

You see, Thompson was not old enough to had any major role in the civil rights movement, although apparently he did take part in voter registration drives.  But he was part of the first wave of Black candidates to run for office.  And, as such, he met with every dirty trick the white establishment could find to thwart election results, regardless of the vote total.  And so what to the other Committee members was a shocking, unheard-of, almost unthinkable event was, to Thompson, an all-too-familiar story.

And that, I believe, is what has made his contribution to the Committee, however quiet and low key, of indispensable importance.