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Capitol Riot hearings: Bennie Thompson connects Trump directly to Jan 6 conspiracy in explosive open statement

'Because our democracy remains in danger. The conspiracy to thwart the will of the people is not over,' said Rep Bennie Thompson in his opener

Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the January 6th Committee, brutally attacked former president Donald Trump in his opening statements at the hearing on the January 6 riots at the Capitol. Thompson placed Trump at the center of the conspiracy and claimed that it was a pre-planned attempt to tackle democracy. He looked into the camera, began his statement and introduced himself to the viewers by recalling his background, particularly his home state where the actions of the KKK were defended by the people.

Thompson began, "Donald Trump was at the center of this conspiracy," and aimed at putting the former president at the heart of the malicious attack which was deemed coordinated to reverse President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory and enticed the violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He further went on to say that it was "The culmination of an attempted coup, a brazen attempt." His cold opener was further supported by a clip of video testimony of former Attorney General William Barr, who told Trump that his claims of having his election stolen were simply "Bullsh*t." 

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To back up Thompson's claim, Rep Liz Cheney claimed that Trump, "Oversaw and coordinated a sophisticated seven-part plan to overturn the presidential election and prevent the transfer of presidential power." Thompson talks about the hearings, the first of six planned over the next few weeks, that it will "remind you of the reality of what happened that day. But our work must do much more that just look backwards. Because our democracy remains in danger. The conspiracy to thwart the will of the people is not over."

Who is Bennie Thompson?

US Rep Thompson recently won the Democratic nomination in Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District. He is the longest-serving Black elected official representing the state of Mississippi. For the past several months, Thompson navigated carrying out his responsibilities chairing the House Homeland Security Committee alongside his new role as chairman of the House Select Committee. And when he's not chairing two full committees, the 74-year-old lawmaker was traveling back to his district to run his re-election campaign.

Bennie Thompson's opening statements 

 Thompson called the attack a "culmination of an attempted coup," in his opening remarks at Thursday's hearing about the 2021 riot. Jan 6 was a "sprawling multistep conspiracy aimed at overturning the election, aimed at overturning the votes of millions of Americans," Thompson said. Here are some significant excerpts from his statement:

"January 6th and the lies that led to insurrection have put two and a half centuries of constitutional democracy at risk. The world is watching what we do here. America has long been expected to be a shining city on a hill. A beacon of hope and freedom. A model for others – when we’re at our best. How can we play that role when our own house is in such disorder?"

"Donald Trump was at the center of that conspiracy. And ultimately, Donald Trump, the president of the United States, spurred a mob of domestic enemies of the Constitution to march down to the Capitol and subvert American democracy," Thompson said. He also compared the events of that day to the United States’ ‘dark history’ of slavery and racism. "I am from a part of the country where people justified the actions of slavery, the Ku Klux Klan and lynching. I'm reminded of that dark history as I hear voices today try and justify the actions of the insurrectionists on January 6, 2021.  Donald Trump lost the presidential election in 2020. The american people voted him out of office – it was not because of a rigged system, it was not because of voter fraud."

Start of Capitol riots hearing

While some people might seem engrossed with the whole idea of some Trump revelations, some people aren't just buying it. One frustrated Twitter user wrote, "I Lasted 5 minutes. Bring back Depp . Nothing relevant to watch. This will get lower views than the View. I see more drama and emotion watching citizens filling up their auto and draining their bank accounts. That’s the fact that will insure republicans get the house back." Another user said, "Exceptional teleprompter reading performance by one of the handful of dem. election deniers on that committee. Also the chairman."

One user asked about the absence of the police for the peaceful protesters and said, "The whole investigation is a sham. Nothing happened on 1/6 aside from it being a peaceful protest. They should be investigating why pelosi denied the capitol police from being there to protect the peaceful protestors." Another user wrote, "This is feeling like "State Run" television; by not offering time for Republican rebuttal, this "Special Report" is coming across as "Democratic" Propaganda targeting the Republican Party "in general". Nothing that happened on January 6th represents Conservative Values......."

One user slammed the committee and said, "We deserve real answers and not falsified information from a committee bent on trying to bar Trump from running for President again. Another hoax being conducted with taxpayer's $$$$. It should be a crime." Another user said, "Such a joke . Plotted and planned by the FBI aided by Capitol Police under the direction of the democrat leadership in the house and senate . They opened the doors for the people to come in and it was already trashed . Murdering cop walks free .."