Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), who has led the January 6th Committee hearings, said that he has tested positive for Covid and will miss Thursday’s session.
Thompson said that he has been experiencing mild symptoms but will be isolating for the next several days.
“Covid-19 is still present, and we must do everything we can to fight this virus,” Thompson said.
Thursday’s hearing will be its second in primetime, and will focus on President Donald Trump’s failure to act for 187 minutes as the Capitol siege was unfolding. The witnesses at the hearing reportedly will be Matt Pottinger, who served as Trump’s deputy national security adviser, and Sarah Matthews, former deputy press secretary, per CNN.
Committee members Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) are expected to take a central role in the proceedings. They each appeared on Sunday shows to preview what to expect.
A spokesperson for the committee said that Thompson has instructed that the hearing proceed. “Committee members and staff wish the Chairman a speedy recovery.”
Thursday’s hearing, the committee’s eighth, is the final one planned. But committee members have suggested that there could be more as they receive new information. Kinzinger said on CBS News’ Face the Nation that they expected to receive a trove of text messages from the Secret Service by Tuesday. The committee subpoenaed the Secret Service for the messages, after reports that they had been deleted from that day.