WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s proposal that the former members of the House Jan. 6 committee be put in jail was resisted Tuesday by Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chair of the now-defunct committee.
Thompson, D-Miss., told reporters on Capitol Hill that the proposal is “absolutely wrong” and that the committee accomplished nothing “that violates the law.”
Thompson stated that there is no justification for threatening committee members with jail time simply because they disagree with the committee’s work. It is clear that this is his viewpoint.
I’m at ease with the idea that, as members of Congress, we were carrying out our duties. As long as we carry out our duties, we have certain assurances, and I’m eager to enforce them,” he continued.
Trump’s remarks, according to Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a former member of the House who participated on the Jan. 6 committee, are “not the kind of talk we should hear from a president in a democracy.”
For years, Schiff has been a target of Trump’s ire. “I don’t think the incoming president should be threatening his political opponents with jail time,” Schiff said. “That s not the kind of talk we should hear from a president in a democracy.”
He and the other members of the Jan. committee, including House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., claimed Tuesday that they “upheld the rule of law.” Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the House Minority Leader, similarly referred to Trump’s remarks as an absurd notion.
The Democrats were reacting to remarks Trump made during an interview that aired on Sunday on “Meet the Press” on NBC News.
Trump said to moderator Kristen Welker, “Cheney did something that’s inexcusable, along with Thompson and the people on the un-select committee of political thugs and, you know, creeps,” without providing any proof that they “deleted and destroyed” the testimony they had gathered.
“Honestly, they should go to jail,” he replied.
Trump responded, “No, not at all,” when asked if he would order his attorney general or FBI director to do so. They’ll probably have to take a look at that, but I’m not going to; instead, I’m going to concentrate on drill, baby, drill.”
Trump attempted to rig the 2020 presidential election, Cheney retorted in a lengthy statement on Sunday, saying that he “mobilized an angry mob and sent them to the United States Capitol, where they attacked police officers, invaded the building, and halted the official counting of electoral votes.”
Cheney, who ran for vice president Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election, stated, “This was the worst breach of our Constitution by any president in our nation’s history.” “Donald Trump s suggestion that members of Congress who later investigated his illegal and unconstitutional actions should be jailed is a continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.”
Following an 18-month investigation that included ten public hearings, the committee came to the conclusion that Trump was the “one man” behind the attempts to rig the election that resulted in the Capitol attack.
During his appearance with “Meet the Press,” Trump also stated that he intends to fulfill his pledge to pardon his supporters who invaded the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Many of these individuals were found guilty and have been referred to as “hostages.”
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