Bennie Thompson says he has mixed feelings about Trump going on trial

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the former chairman of House panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, said he has mixed feelings about former President Trump’s federal indictment this week in a CBS News interview Thursday.

“I don’t feel good about the fact that a former president of the United States is going on trial, but I do feel good that our system of democracy works,” Thompson said.

The indictment, he added, “is part of how we test our democracy. No one is above the law in the United States. It has nothing to do with the timing of the election.”

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Thompson was the chairman of the House’s Jan. 6 select committee, which recommended that the Department of Justice pursue a criminal investigation into Trump last year for his actions leading up to the insurrection and attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

The federal investigation, led by special counsel Jack Smith, alleges that Trump attempted to use fake Electoral College votes to change the results of the 2020 election.

Trump was arraigned on four charges Thursday, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and conspiracy against rights.

Thompson said he supports the charges.

“I’m convinced, based on our review of the facts … that we think he did do some things wrong,” he said, referring to the committee’s investigation.

Trump is also facing 40 federal charges related to a second Smith investigation alleging that the former president mishandled classified documents after leaving office.

A New York state investigation over hush money payments also indicted Trump in April.

And a separate Georgia probe into Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election in that state is expected to conclude in the coming weeks, raising the possibility of a fourth indictment.