US Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chairman of the House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, said on Thursday that "we can’t sweep what happened under the rug."
Speaking at the committee’s prime-time hearing, Thompson said, "The American people deserve answers. So I come before you this evening not as a Democrat, but as an American who swore an oath to defend the Constitution. The Constitution doesn’t protect just Democrats or just Republicans. It protects all of us: ‘We the People.’ And this scheme was an attempt to undermine the will of the people."
He warned that "our democracy remains in danger", according to NBC News.
"The conspiracy to thwart the will of the people is not over. There are those in this country who thirst for power but have no love or respect for what makes America great: devotion to the Constitution, allegiance to the rule of law, our shared journey to build a more perfect Union," stated Thompson.
“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," he continued.
The US House of Representatives passed a bill last May to form a commission to probe the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. The bill was approved in a 252-175 vote, with 35 Republicans joining all Democrats in support.
Two days later, however, Senate Republicans blocked the legislation. Senators voted 54-35 on the House-passed bill, falling short of the 10 GOP votes needed to get it over an initial hurdle.
Without any pathway forward in the Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she would use her power to pursue a select committee in the House that will be controlled by Democrats, leading to the formation of the current panel.
Thursday's prime-time hearing was to include eyewitness testimony from a first police officer attacked during the riot and from a documentary filmmaker tracking the Proud Boys organization, who led the storming of the Capitol.