Mississippi's Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson helped draft the bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday to investigate the violent insurrection at the Capitol. The bill passed with full support from Democrats, as well as 35 Republican members who broke party lines. Congressman Thompson, who represents Mississippi's 2nd district, says the bill was modeled after the committee that investigated the September 11th attacks. He spoke on CNN after the vote.
"We met Republicans at every point to try to make this situation bipartisan. Leader McCarthy, we word for word accepted what he wanted because we just want to get to the facts," said Thompson. "We have to protect the United States Capitol, and to see the actions of January 6, it's heartbreaking."
Among Republicans who voted in favor of forming the commission was Mississippi's 3rd district, Congressman Michael Guest. He said initially the bill posed an investigation controlled by Democrats but says many of his concerns have since been addressed.
"This committee is as bipartisan, or as non-partisan of a committee that we would ever see in Washington D.C., and so I don't begrudge any of my fellow Republicans for not supporting the bill, but as a former prosecutor I believe it's important to get to the heart of what happened on January 6," said Guest.
Mississippi Republican Congressmen Steven Palazzo and Congressman Trent Kelly voted against the measure.
