Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the chair of the House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol, announced Tuesday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and will not appear in person at what the latest hearing will be. could be from the Commission. the summer.
But the absence of Mr Thompson, who said he would remain in isolation for several days while recovering from mild symptoms, is not expected to affect plans for a prime-time hearing on Thursday. A spokesman for the committee, Tim Mulvey, said Mr Thompson had instructed the panel to move forward with his schedule after testing positive on Monday.
“While Chairman Thompson is disappointed with his Covid diagnosis, he has directed the select committee to proceed with Thursday night’s hearing,” said Mr Mulvey. “Committee members and staff wish the chairman a speedy recovery.”
It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Thompson would appear virtually, as lawmakers have done for other congressional hearings since the start of the pandemic.
In a statement, Mr Thompson said he has been fully vaccinated and boosted, encouraging his voters to get the vaccine and take precautions against the coronavirus.
As California speaker Nancy Pelosi has continued to expand proxy voting, a system first implemented at the start of the pandemic in 2020, he will be able to vote remotely on the floor of the house.
The next hearing, scheduled for Thursday at 8 p.m., could be the committee’s last session this summer. It is set to focus on former President Donald J. Trump and his 187 minutes of inactivity when a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an effort to stop Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s certification. . Electoral college victory.
Representatives Elaine Luria, Democrat of Virginia, and Adam Kinzinger, Republican of Illinois, are expected to take on leadership roles as the committee reviews how Mr. Trump refused to call off his supporters, even as his staff, lawyers and family begged him to intervene and help stop the violence.