Bennie Thompson, son of the segregated south and staunch liberal ally of Nancy Pelosi, and Liz Cheney, scion of a conservative political dynasty, would make unlikely partners in any context.
But the pair teamed up to helm one of the most influential congressional investigations in history: Diving headfirst into Donald Trump’s effort to subvert the transfer of power after losing the 2020 election. And they did it by embracing bipartisanship, calling out white supremacy among the insurrectionists and highlighting the bravery of the women who came forward to testify at the hearings.
Thompson, as chair of the committee, had the monumental task of casting the Jan. 6 attacks as an attempt at sedition — leaning on his own background as a Black Mississippian and drawing connections during the hearings between Trump’s “Stop the Steal” campaign and the “Lost Cause” effort to mythologize the Confederacy.
Cheney, besides cloaking the committee in some legitimacy as a high-profile Republican, was a central player in a group of women — including Sarah Matthews and Alyssa Farah Griffin — who convinced Mark Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson to testify in front of the cameras.
For 18 months, Thompson and Cheney used their complementary strengths, leaning into their own lived experiences to piece together a damning narrative about Trump and his allies’ continued efforts to overturn and plant doubt in the electoral process.
“I’m convinced that our hearings reinforced the greatness of our country, that we settle our differences at the ballot box,” Thompson said.