Jan. 6 committee chair rips Trump ‘election integrity’ event with Johnson

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi) on Friday slammed former President Trump’s planned “election integrity” event with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana).

Thompson, who chaired the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, called the incident “a sham” in a statement distributed by the Biden administration.

The rally, billed as a press conference to introduce legislation that would ban noncitizens from voting, will be held Friday at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.

“Mr. Trump’s fake event at his country club should remind Americans of a dangerous truth: Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy and a danger to our Constitution,” Thompson said in a statement. ” he said.

Under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, aliens are prohibited from voting in federal elections, although some jurisdictions do not allow noncitizens to vote in local elections such as city elections or school board elections. is recognized.

Thompson said the 2020 election was one of the most secure in the country’s history, with President Trump losing to Biden “fairly and squarely by more than 7 million votes.”

Thompson criticized the former president last month for saying one of his first actions if re-elected would be to free jailed participants in the January 6 riot, calling them “hostages.”

“In recent days, President Trump has pledged to pardon violent insurrectionists and honor the criminals who attacked the brave law enforcement protecting the Capitol on January 6th,” Thompson’s statement said. He threatened that this November’s election could be his last.”

Friday’s event highlighted Johnson’s close relationship with Trump, and Trump’s relationship with the House of Representatives, even as the pair navigate divisive issues such as reauthorizing warrantless surveillance powers and providing additional aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia. It will be an opportunity to prove his ties to Republican leadership. .

Mr Johnson announced in November that he would release thousands of hours of footage taken from inside the Capitol during the riot. Mr. Johnson undermined Mr. Thompson’s efforts at the January 6 commission, asking the public, the media, and criminal defendants to “see for themselves what happened that day” instead of relying on the commission. “The ability to confirm this,” he said.

“Donald Trump and Mike Johnson don’t care about the integrity of our elections. They care about helping Trump’s campaign and at whatever cost,” Thompson said in a statement. All we want is revenge and retaliation to regain power, no matter what the cost.” “The American people know this, so they won’t fall for Trump’s dangerous lies this November, just as they did four years ago.”