MSNBC "All In With Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Bennie Thompson
Interview
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REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): Well, we will look at everything, Chris. Thank you for having me, by the way. One of the things we`re tasked with is looking at all the circumstances, and the facts surrounding January 6. Everything is on the table. We`ll look at it. We`ve not been given any real guidepost beyond that. I think it`s important to see who was complicit on what went on on January 6, whether there were outside forces, inside forces. We will look at all of them.
We will look at the information that`s already been collected by the various committees. But also, we will look at other information that we`ve not had access to, telephoning information, other thing. So, what we have to do is hire the best professional staff that`s available. We will do our work. We will not rush the task of the work. We will interview everyone that the facts lead to.
(INAUDIBLE) we want to talk to a members of Capitol Police, Chris. We`ve talked to the brass of the Capitol Police, but we`ve not talked to the rank and file people who fought those insurrectionists that day, and in my opinion, save the lives of a lot of Americans in the process. We need to hear from them.
So, we will start the process. We won`t rush it. And we will look at every situation possible to get to the facts. Just what you talked about a few minutes ago, some of this, there`s news comes out every day. So, clearly, it`s in our best interest with this Select Committee to get to --
HAYES: I think we might be losing --
THOMPSON: -- driven by the facts and circumstances that we --
HAYES: I think we got you back, Congressman. You flickered out for a moment on the internet connection. I`m going to proceed as if we do have you back. I wanted to display a tweet from one of your colleagues as Adam Schiff said that the question of culpability of your colleagues is one of the questions at issue here. And I`m just talking about Paul Gosar who was speaking on the floors, you know, reciting these lies in those crucial six minutes. I don`t think there`s any evidence he knew that of course. It`s sort of a grand irony.
But that morning, I think he tweeted this. Biden should concede. I want his concession on my desk tomorrow morning. Don`t make me come over there. And then he hashtags stop the steal and he tags one of the people who is the organizers of the entire event. And I feel like there hasn`t been a sort of sufficient inquiry to what his role was just in organizing the entire thing.
You know what, I think the congressman`s internet is out. So, let`s take a break. We`ll see if we can get it back. Stick right here. Congressman Bennie Thompson on the flip. If not, a lots more on the show. Don`t go anywhere.
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HAYES: All right back with me on the phone is Congressman Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi, Chair of the Select Committee to investigate January 6. Congressman, I just read you that tweet. Let me read it again because you may not have heard me as the connection was blinking out. But it`s your colleague Paul Gosar on January 6 saying Biden should concede. I want his concession on my desk tomorrow morning. Don`t make me come over there with a shot of the crowd. That crowd would eventually storm the Capitol, at least in the aggregate, hashtag stop the steal 2021 and tagging one of the organizers.
And I just -- I feel like actually for wherever the chips fall, do you feel like you actually understand the role that members of Congress may have played in organizing this entire event?
THOMPSON: Chris, I know that there have been a number of comments made like what Congressman Gosar tweeted. Our investigation will look at any and all of the facts. And if there are members of Congress who were complicit in what went on on January 6, our investigation will bring it out. That`s why we will have the best investigators possible to look at it, to see whether or not the White House was involved or any other institution or government involved because this should not have taken place.
In a democracy, you can`t settle your differences by an insurrection. Democracy is a settled at the ballot box, not by an insurrection is mob- like we had on the sixth. So, our obligation as members of this Select Committee is to look at the facts and circumstances that brought about January 6, and call it just like we see it.
HAYES: I also wonder about the role of the Department of Justice. Of course, there are criminal cases being pursued. There`s over 500 arrests. There`s some speculation that number ultimately might be up to 800. That`s an estimate of how many people actually pass through that building. And those prosecutions are all being pursued out of -- out of one prosecutor`s office in the District of Columbia, underneath Department of Justice. And I wonder how much -- what you expect as a level of cooperation from the DOJ, from the Attorney General in sharing information with your committee?
THOMPSON: Well, to the extent that we won`t interfere with the prosecution of those individuals, we expect to have conversations in a classified setting or whatever, to get access to certain information. But again, we`re not trying to interfere. But there are certain information that -- and the committee will deem necessary to conduct our business.
We need to know, for instance, who did the FBI talk to. Did a talk to DOD? Did they talk to the Metropolitan Police? Who in fact was part of the communication circle on or before January 6? We think there was some breakdowns in that system. So, we will have to look at the whole thing, not just who committed something, but there are some intelligence failures that occurred on January 6.
We need to make sure that we fix those intelligence failures, so they never happen again. Why does the DOD operate separately from other institutions of government as it relates to January 6. We have to fix all that. Why does the mayor of the District of Columbia of which the United States Capitol, and is it in an important position to protect the citizens of that area? So, there are a lot of things that we have to go to. We hope and expect cooperation from every branch of government as we put through getting to this report.
HAYES: All right, Congressman Bennie Thompson who will be chairing that select committee, thank you so much for joining us tonight.
THOMPSON: Thank you for having me.
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