Speaking recently on MSNBC, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) condemned former President — and continued presidential candidate — Donald Trump as having put himself fundamentally at odds with the rule of law. Thompson is the top Democrat on the House Committee on Homeland Security. He also led the now out-of-service House committee that investigated the Capitol violence of January 6, 2021, and circumstances leading up to it.
At the conclusion of that panel’s work, which was co-led by now former GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming, members referred a slew of individuals for potential criminal prosecution by federal authorities. That move essentially amounted to a formal recommendation for criminal action, but the committee’s unified decision made the direction their investigation took pretty clear. Trump himself, of course, has now been charged — in two separate cases! — by authorities at the Justice Department. He was also charged in local cases in New York and Georgia, all of which brought his total charges near 100.
“Black people by and large believe in the rule of law,” Thompson said, discussing the specific contributions to efforts at holding Trump accountable from Black individuals, a group that ranges from Alvin Bragg in New York to Fani Willis in Georgia. “And so what they saw, and a lot of us — myself included, was a president of the United States stoking the flames of insurrection on January 6. He encouraged people to come to the Capitol — put members of Congress, staff, law enforcement persons’ lives at risk — we’re a better country than that. And I think Black people understand that.”
And this is what’s at stake in the unfolding presidential race as Trump remains on track for the GOP nomination. Tentative decisions (that were headed for appeal) have emerged in two states blocking Trump from ballots there on the basis of argued ties to January 6, with threats towards individuals involved in the moves unfortunately following the developments. Ex-prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said Trump should be put in pretrial detention amid these threats. Watch Thompson’s interview below:
