The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, headlined the conversation on night three of the Democratic National Convention, with Congressman Bennie Thompson taking centerstage to discuss.
Thompson, who co-chaired the select committee investigating January 6 and former Republican President Donald Trump’s alleged role in the attack, spoke to thousands inside the United Center in Chicago on Wednesday. The lone Democrat in Mississippi’s congressional delegation touched on his real-time thoughts during the attack and what his goals were in leading the committee.
“On January 6, like most of my colleagues, I had one goal: to uphold the votes of the American people. The cornerstone of American democracy. But as you witnessed, let me remind you that the members of that violent mob had another goal. They wanted to stop the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in American democracy. Thank God they failed,” Thompson said as the crowd erupted into cheers.
“Because in this country, we settle our differences at the ballot box, not through violence,” he continued. “It took a long time to get here, and we are not going back.”
Thompson shortly segued into his own father being unable to vote due to violence and discrimination during the Jim Crow era.
He then reiterated his endorsement of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, citing the Jan. 6 committee’s urging of the Department of Justice to consider prosecuting Trump for four different crimes based on his behavior during the insurrection. Trump, who is running against Harris, continues to deny any wrongdoing but is facing charges for working to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
“[Trump] lied about the election fraud. He would rather subvert democracy than submit to it. Now, he’s plotting again,” Thompson said, noting insurrectionists believed President Joe Biden did not win and the count was rigged. “Elections are about choice. Choose democracy, not political violence. Choose the America we always taught our children to love. Choose Kamala Harris.”
Thompson was followed on stage by speeches from Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, former President Bill Clinton, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and fellow Mississippian Oprah Winfrey, among others. At the end of the night, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz officially accepted the nomination for vice president.
The presidential election is set for Nov. 5, 2024.
