Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) declared he chose “Liz Cheney over celebration” when he made the Republican his vice chair on the congressional subcommittee that investigated the January 6 Capitol revolt.

In a lengthy interview with Politico, Thompson mentioned the controversial January 6 committee, which was once often painted as a political witch hunt by way of former President Donald Trump and different Republican critics. Cheney and Adam Kinzinger had been both Republicans who made the committee technically bipartisan, however both had been longtime vocal critics of the former president, something critics of the committee have been quick to indicate.

According to Thompson, he obtained pushback when he selected Cheney for her position from his personal birthday celebration, but claimed he labored with the guy Trump critic “for the us of a.”

Thompson informed Politico:

“What took place on January 6th used to be that sole reminder that, despite the fact that we’re the greatest united states on the earth, we’ve to handle vigilance in maintaining it … in any other case, the potential for what befell on January 6th could very well occur again.

So I wanted to frame it [in that context and] I selected Liz Cheney as my vice chair. I didn’t need to. I can have picked somebody, however I feel it was once for the united states. I chose Liz Cheney over birthday party. And a few of us, my friends, they took problem with it.”

The congressman further precise that some in his birthday party wondered why he would make a choice a Republican when he was in a position of energy to now not wish to achieve this. Thompson claimed he needed to “seem to be beyond party and race to get to the following degree.”

“While my united states of america has no longer at all times handled Bennie Thompson or my ancestors properly, I think there are some occasions you must look beyond birthday celebration and race to get to the subsequent stage, and so I’ve tried to try this,” he stated.

Learn Thompson’s full Politico interview right here.

The post Jan 6 Committee Chair Bennie Thompson Claims He ‘Chose Liz Cheney Over Party’: ‘It Used to be for the U . s . a .’ first appeared on Mediaite.