Bennie Thompson MS-02

Bennie Thompson

Summary

Current Position: US Representative of MS 2nd District since 1993
Affiliation: Democrat
Other Positions:  Committee on Homeland Security; Select Committee on the January 6 Attack
District: Western Mississippi. It includes most of Jackson, the riverfront cities of Greenville and Vicksburg and the interior market cities of Clarksdale, Greenwood and Clinton.   
Upcoming Election:

Thompson was a schoolteacher in Madison, Mississippi.[2] He served as an alderman (1969–1973) and then mayor of Bolton (1973–1980) before being elected to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, on which he served from 1980 to 1993.

He is a founding member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. His legislative platform focuses mainly on homeland security, civil rights, agriculture and rural issues, equal education, and health care reform. In 1975, he became one of the original plaintiffs in the Ayers Case, which concerned the adequate funding of predominantly black educational institutes in Mississippi.

Featured Quote: 
Today, the bipartisan @January6thCmte will begin its work investigating the #January6th attack on the Capitol by hearing powerful testimony from the brave law enforcement heroes who defended the Capitol that day.

Rep. Bennie Thompson’s full opening statement in House investigation of Jan. 6

OnAir Post: Bennie Thompson MS-02

News

About

Source: Government page

Born in a state with a unique history of racial inequality, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson draws inspiration from the legacies of Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry and Henry Kirksey. The Bolton, Mississippi native considers it an honor to walk the path Mississippi civil rights icons paved decades ago.

Serving his 13th term in the United States House of Representatives, Thompson represents Mississippi’s Second Congressional District where he has spent his entire life fighting to improve the lives of all people.

Congressman Bennie G. Thompson is the longest-serving African-American elected official in the State of Mississippi and the lone Democrat in the Mississippi Congressional Delegation.

He began his grassroots political activism being a civil rights champion through the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) while a student at Tougaloo College – a private historically black college in Jackson, Mississippi. He organized voter registration drives for African-Americans throughout the Mississippi Delta on behalf of the organization before graduating and following in the footsteps of his mother by becoming a school teacher. During his tenure educating the youth of Mississippi, a fire inside of Thompson was ignited pushing him to be a voice to the voiceless through elected office.

From 1969 to 1972, Thompson served as alderman of his hometown, Bolton, before serving as the city’s mayor from 1973 to 1980. During his time as mayor, Thompson improved the city’s infrastructure by paving roads, fixing the water and sewer systems, repairing and renovating dilapidated houses; all while spearheading the construction of city hall and re-evaluating the town’s real estate.

Thompson was a founding member of the Mississippi Association of Black Mayors where he instituted policies and provided services benefiting Bolton’s underserved. The selfless service Thompson provided his hometown was increased when he was elected as a Hinds Country supervisor, a position he held from 1980 until 1993. The then-supervisor’s record of being a pragmatic local servant was embraced by constituents in Mississippi’s most populous county.

His record of effective problem solving and coalition building served as the bedrock for his election to the Congress in 1993, representing Mississippi’s largest Congressional District composed of the state’s capital city, Jackson, and the Mississippi Delta.

Congressman Thompson has channeled his passion for public service into action.  In 2000, he authored legislation creating the National Center for Minority Health and Health Care Disparities which subsequently became law. After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the State of Mississippi, he aggressively advocated for disaster relief improvements within government agencies, and provided oversight to ensure that federal funds were properly allocated for Gulf Coast recovery.

The following year, Thompson’s Washington colleagues expressed their overwhelming confidence in his leadership abilities and selected him to serve as the first Democratic chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. As chairman, Thompson introduced and engineered passage of the most comprehensive homeland security package since September 11, 2001 – H.R. 1, the “9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007.”

The Congressman has also served on the Agriculture, Budget, and Small Business Committees while working to level the playing field. Thompson employs a progressive and realistic approach to overcome persistent disparities while being the unabashed champion for civil rights, equal education and healthcare delivery in Mississippi.

Representative Thompson is a lifelong member of the Asbury United Methodist Church in Bolton, Mississippi. He has been married his college sweetheart, London Johnson of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, since 1968. The couple has a daughter, BendaLonne; granddaughter, Jeanna; and grandson, Thomas Gordon. Thompson is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys gardening, reading, and listening to the blues.

Personal

Full Name: Bennie G. Thompson

Gender: Male

Family: Wife: London; 1 Child: BendaLonne

Birth Date: 01/28/1948

Birth Place: Bolton, MS

Home City: Bolton, MS

Religion: Methodist

Source: Vote Smart

Education

MS, Education, Jackson State University, 1972

BA, Political Science, Tougaloo College, 1968

Political Experience

Member, Congressional Black Caucus, United States Congress, present

Member, Congressional Progressive Caucus, United States Congress, present

Member, Congressional Rural Caucus, United States Congress, present

Member, Congressional Sunbelt Caucus, United States Congress, present

Member, Gaming Caucus, United States House of Representatives, present

Member, Tennessee Valley Authority Caucus, United States House of Representatives, present

Former Member, Agriculture Committee, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Budget Committee, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus, United States Congress

Former Member, Small Business Committee, United States House of Representatives

Professional Experience

Administrator, Tri-County Community Development Center, 1972-1974

Administrator, Jackson Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, 1970-1972

Teacher, Madison County School District, 1969-1970

Teacher, Franklin County School District, 1968-1969

Offices

Washington, DC Office
2466 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5876
Fax: (202) 225-5898

Bolton Office
Greenville Office
Greenwood Office
Jackson Office
Marks Office
Mound Bayou City Hall Office

Contact

Email: Government

Web Links

Politics

Source: none

Finances

Source: Vote Smart

Committees

Ranking Member– Committee on Homeland Security

Caucuses:

Congressional Black Caucus

Congressional Gaming Caucus

Congressional Progressive Caucus

Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus

Congressional Rural Caucus

Disaster Equity and Building Resilience Caucus (Co-Chair)

House Education Caucus

New Legislation

Learn more about legislation sponsored and co-sponsored by Congressman Thompson.

Issues

Source: Government page

As the ever developing advancements of modern technology bring our world closer together our nation increasingly comes face to face with the factors affecting and influencing the melting pot which is our society.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment act (“Recovery Act”) is creating jobs and strengthening the economy. It is making a real difference for families, providing new resources to local governments and business, and helping to end the economic free fall that has gripped the country for more than 18 months.

Congressman Thompson is committed to working to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

After experiencing first hand FEMA’s failure in handling the response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Congressman Thompson became the driving force behind the restructuring of the broken agency.jun


Mississippi continues to face tremendous challenges as we confront our health care needs.

At the end of FY2010, the Veterans population in the United States was approximately 22.6 million. Congressman Thompson is and has been a consistent supporter of our armed fighting forces and veterans, making sure that these 22.6 million heroes get the services they deserve

Congressman Thompson has been a longtime supporter of Agriculture

Congress annually considers several appropriations measures, which provide funding for numerous activities, for example, national defense, education, and homeland security, as well as general government operations. Congress has developed certain rules and practices for the consideration of appropriations measures, referred to as the congressional appropriations process.

Protecting the environment is vital to guarding the health of all Americans, particularly our children.


Congressman Thompson and Democrats will continue their work to secure the nation’s critical infrastructure, our borders and our ports.
Congressman Thompson believes that Congress’ number one priority should be creating jobs for the American people.

Congressman Thompson believes that protecting the promise of Social Security is an absolute.

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More Information

Services

Source: Government page

 

From statehood to the election of 1846, Mississippi elected representatives at-large statewide on a general ticket. This favored candidates who could command a majority of the voters, then consisting mostly of white men of property.

Following Reconstruction, the Democratic Party regained control of the state legislature and worked to reduce Republican voting strength in the state. It redefined congressional districts, creating a ‘shoestring’ congressional district running the length of the Mississippi River and taking in the majority-black (then Republican) areas of the Mississippi Delta. By this gerrymandering, they created five other districts with white majorities.[4]

Election campaigns were often accompanied by fraud and violence as Democrats tried to reduce black Republican voting. Finally, the Democratic-dominated legislature passed a new constitution in 1890, with barriers to voter registration and other measures that effectively disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites for decades, subduing the Republican and Populist movements of the late 19th century.[5]

The legislature has redefined congressional districts over the years to reflect population changes in the state. Districts 5 through 8 were reallocated to the 1st, 3rd and 4th. The 2nd, bounded by the Mississippi River on the west, continues to have a black-majority population. Since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, which provided federal oversight and enforcement to protect voting rights, African American residents here have consistently supported Democratic Party candidates. On the other hand, most white conservatives have shifted into the Republican Party, which would eventually dominate the state legislature. The district is one of the poorest in Mississippi and the nation,[6] with 26.2% of people in poverty as of 2017.[7]

The district’s current Representative is Democrat Bennie Thompson

District

Source: Wikipedia

Mississippi’s 2nd congressional district (MS-2) covers much of Western Mississippi. It includes most of Jackson, the riverfront cities of Greenville and Vicksburg and the interior market cities of Clarksdale, Greenwood and Clinton. The district is approximately 275 miles (443 km) long, 180 miles (290 km) wide and borders the Mississippi River; it encompasses much of the Mississippi Delta, for a total of 28 counties plus parts of Hinds and Madison. It is the only majority-black district in the state. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+11, it is also the only Democratic district in Mississippi.[3]

The district is home to four of Mississippi’s eight public four-year colleges and universities: Alcorn State University in Lorman; Delta State University in Cleveland; Jackson State University in Jackson; and Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, a few miles west of Greenwood. All except Delta State are HBCUs and are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Wikipedia

Bennie Gordon Thompson (born January 28, 1948) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Mississippi’s 2nd congressional district since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, Thompson served as the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security from 2007 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2023.[1] He was both the first Democrat and the first African American to chair the committee. He is the dean of Mississippi’s congressional delegation since 2018 after Thad Cochran left Congress, as well as its only Democrat.

Since 2011, Thompson has been the only Democrat in Mississippi’s congressional delegation. His district includes most of Jackson and is the only majority-black district in the state. It is about 275 miles (443 km) long, 180 miles (290 km) wide, and borders the Mississippi River. The Mississippi Delta comprises the vast majority of the district.

Early life, education, and career

Thompson was born in Bolton, Mississippi, the son of Will Thompson and Annie (Lauris) Thompson.[2] He attended Hinds County public schools and graduated from Hinds County Agricultural High School.[3] He then attended Tougaloo College, from which he earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1968.[3] He earned a Master of Science in educational administration from Jackson State University in 1972.[3] Thompson was a schoolteacher in Madison, Mississippi.[2] He served as an alderman (1969–1973) and then mayor of Bolton (1973–1980) before being elected to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, on which he served from 1980 to 1993.[4]

U.S. House of Representatives

Thompson tours Clarksdale, Mississippi, with President Bill Clinton in 1999

Tenure

When Mike Espy resigned from the United States House of Representatives in Mississippi’s 2nd congressional district to become Secretary of Agriculture in 1993, Thompson ran in the special election to succeed him. With five other Democrats splitting the vote, he finished second, behind Republican Hayes Dent with 28% of the vote in the March 30, 1993, primary election.[5] He then defeated Dent in the April 13 runoff with 55% of the vote.[6] He won the seat again in 1994 and has been reelected 12 times. He has faced serious opposition only twice, when journalist Clinton LeSueur held him to 55% in 2002 and 58% in 2004.

Thompson meeting with Mississippi Democrats

Thompson became an outspoken advocate for the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005. From his position on the Homeland Security Committee, he pushed for accountability at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and a careful review of the role of the Red Cross in the time of disaster. He also pursued waste, fraud, and abuse in hurricane contracting and called for preferences to be given to small and Gulf Coast businesses in the recovery and rebuilding of the affected states. Thompson is the founding member of the bipartisan Gulf Coast Recovery & Rebuilding Caucus in the House of Representatives.

Thompson’s voting record has been decidedly liberal; he is by far the most liberal member of the Mississippi delegation and arguably one of the most liberal congressmen ever to represent the state. He is a founding member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. His legislative platform focuses mainly on homeland security, civil rights, agriculture and rural issues, equal education, and health care reform. In 1975, he became one of the original plaintiffs in the Ayers Case, which concerned the adequate funding of predominantly black educational institutes in Mississippi. In 2000, Thompson wrote legislation that created the National Center for Minority Health and Health Care Disparities.

During his tenure as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Thompson focused on assuring that state and local officials, as well as first responders (fire, police, EMTs), got the resources they needed to protect their communities. Thompson was particularly concerned about local officials getting adequate resources, having been a volunteer firefighter and a local elected official for 24 years.

Thompson was one of 31 House Democrats to object to the certification of the results of the 2004 presidential election in Ohio.[7] President George W. Bush won Ohio, the state the representatives objected to counting, by 118,457 votes.[8] Democrats claimed the results were tainted by irregularities or fraud.[9] These claims were investigated and rejected by journalists, and Democratic nominee John Kerry, who did not contest the election result.[7] As of 2021, Thompson stands by his vote, claiming it was “based on what the issues are at that time. But again, I didn’t tear up the place because I cast a vote.”[10]

Along with John Conyers, in April 2006 Thompson brought an action against George W. Bush and others alleging violations of the Constitution in the passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.[11] The case, Conyers v. Bush, was ultimately dismissed.[12]

On January 5, 2007, Thompson introduced H.R.1, “Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007”, the first bill of the 110th Congress. The bill, cosponsored by more than 100 House Members, provided for the implementation of the 9/11 Commission’s remaining recommendations. It included provisions requiring major improvements in aviation security, border security, and infrastructure security; providing first responders the equipment and training they need; beefing up efforts to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction; and significantly expanding diplomatic, economic, educational, and other strategies designed to counter terrorism. The bill had bipartisan support and passed 299–128 on January 9, 2007. On July 27, 2007, the Conference Report on H.R. 1 passed the House overwhelmingly, 371–40. The previous day, it had passed the Senate 85–8. The President signed H.R. 1 into law on August 3, 2007.

With the passage of H.R. 1, Thompson is the first African-American Chairman of a House Committee to have a House–Senate Conference on the first bill introduced in either the House or the Senate in any given Congress.

On December 27, 2009, commenting on reports that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who had allegedly tried to set off a suicide bomb on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009, had subsequently confessed to being trained and equipped in Yemen,[13][14]
Thompson called for a halt to all current plans with regard to Yemen in light of Abdulmutullab’s ties there, including plans to repatriate approximately 80 Yemeni captives in Guantanamo.

Thompson in his office in 2016

Thompson is a supporter, and one of the proposers of, a bill[15] to prevent auto insurance companies from using credit scores to set their rates, which supporters claim would lower rates for Americans in financial struggle. The bill proposed that auto insurance rates be based solely on factors related to “skills and responsibility behind the wheel”, excluding factors such as debt or poor credit elsewhere.[16] The bill has not been enacted.

Thompson has also been a supporter of a measure to increase screening and background checks for pilot trainees to reduce chances of terrorist exploitation. The bill, H.R. 6159,[17] would require all applicants to go through a waiting period while they are screened and cleared by the Department of Homeland Security. Currently, only foreign-born trainees are required to go through this screening.[18][19] The bill has not been enacted.

In July 2014, Thompson joined Senator Ron Wyden in introducing a bill to limit the number of documents that are classified and to overhaul the security clearance system. The bill stalled and was not passed.[20][21]

On April 1, 2020, Thompson and other Democratic lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee introduced legislation that would create a commission tasked with “producing a full and complete accounting of the nation’s preparedness and response to the coronavirus”. He compared this to the 9/11 Commission, saying, “while we don’t yet know the full impact the coronavirus will have on the nation,” already “more Americans have been killed by the virus than died in the September 11, 2001, attacks”. A bipartisan group of House lawmakers would appoint 25 commission members, and 18 months after its initial meeting, a “public report detailing recommendations for the development of a national plan to address public health and the economic and social impacts of future pandemics” would be published.[22]

For his tenure as the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee in the 116th Congress, Thompson earned an “A” grade from the non-partisan Lugar Center’s Congressional Oversight Hearing Index.

On March 3, 2021, Thompson was the only House Democrat to vote against the For the People Act, a top legislative priority of House Democrats that would reform campaign finance and election laws and expand voting rights. Despite initially cosponsoring the bill, Thompson said his vote “was no accident”, explaining, “My constituents opposed the redistricting portion of the bill as well as the section on public finances. I always listen and vote in the interest of my constituents.”[23]

In April 2024, Thompson introduced (along with eight other Democrats) a bill to strip Secret Service protection from convicted felons (intended to include former President Donald Trump) after Trump was convicted in New York in May 2024.[24][25]

Negotiating the January 6 Commission and chairing the Select Committee

On January 7, 2021, Thompson issued a statement about the January 6 United States Capitol attack. In the statement, he wrote, “There must be a thorough Congressional investigation into the clear and massive breakdowns in preparedness and response. My Committee has been examining the threat from domestic terrorism, right-wing extremism, and white nationalism for ten years and this will be at the top of our agenda for the new Congress.”[26]

On February 13, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced plans for a bicameral commission to investigate the attack on the Capitol, modeled after the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission), an independent panel that investigated the attacks of September 11, 2001. The 9/11 Commission was created in 2002 by Congress and issued a detailed report on its findings 15 months later.[27][28] Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tasked Thompson and John Katko, the House Homeland Security Committee’s highest-ranking members, with negotiating the commission’s establishment resolution. Despite initial bipartisan support for a commission, by March, disputes between Democrats and Republicans over the proposed investigation’s scope and whether the commission would have an equal number of members from each party stalled the commission’s creation.[29]

On May 14, 2021, Thompson and Katko announced H.R. 3233, The National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act.[30] The resolution introduced to the House on May 19 met all Republican objections; it contained an equal number of members from each party, required approval of both parties to issue subpoenas, and set a firm deadline of December 31, 2021, to complete the report.[31] The bill to form the commission passed the House, 252–175, with 35 Republicans and every Democrat supporting it.[32] On May 28, Senate Republicans used a filibuster to block taking up the bill. Thompson issued a statement denouncing Senate Republicans, calling it appalling that Mitch McConnell allowed the bill to be filibustered even after hearing from Officer Brian Sicknick‘s mother and her support for the bill.[33]

On July 1, 2021, Speaker Nancy Pelosi chose Thompson to chair the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.[34] According to Thompson’s friends and advisors, his national security expertise qualified him to chair the committee.[35] As chair, Thompson had the sole authority to sign and issue a subpoena. According to a Congressional Research Service survey, this was the only active House committee with this authorization in the 117th Congress, found under Section 5: Procedures in H.Res 503, as most House committees can issue and authorize subpoenas only with a majority vote of the committee/subcommittee or by consulting the ranking minority member. Most House committees can have a member designated by the committee to authorize subpoenas.[36]

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:[37]

  • Committee on Homeland Security (Ranking Member)
    • As Ranking Member of the committee, Rep. Thompson is entitled to sit as an ex officio member in any subcommittee hearing, per the committee’s rules.

Caucus memberships

Legislation sponsored

Electoral history

Mississippi’s 2nd congressional district: Results 1993–2022[42][43][44]
YearSubjectPartyVotes%OpponentPartyVotes%OpponentPartyVotes%OpponentPartyVotes%
1993Bennie ThompsonDemocratic72,56155.2%Hayes DentRepublican58,99544.8%
1994Bennie ThompsonDemocratic68,01453.7%Bill JordanRepublican49,27038.9%Vincent ThorntonU.S. Taxpayers Party9,4087.4%
1996Bennie ThompsonDemocratic102,50359.6%Dana CovingtonRepublican65,26338.0%William ChipmanLibertarian4,1672.4%
1998Bennie ThompsonDemocratic80,28471.2%William ChipmanLibertarian32,53328.8%
2000Bennie ThompsonDemocratic112,77765.1%Hardy CarawayRepublican54,09031.2%William ChipmanLibertarian4,3052.5%Lee DilworthReform4,1672.4%
2002Bennie ThompsonDemocratic89,91355.1%Clinton LeSueurRepublican69,71142.8%Lee DilworthReform3,4262.1%
2004Bennie ThompsonDemocratic154,62658.4%Clinton LeSueurRepublican107,64740.6%Shawn O’HaraReform2,5961.0%
2006Bennie ThompsonDemocratic100,16064.3%Yvonne BrownRepublican55,67235.7%
2008Bennie ThompsonDemocratic201,60669.1%Richard CookRepublican90,36430.9%
2010Bennie ThompsonDemocratic105,32761.5%Bill MarcyRepublican64,49937.6%Ashley NorwoodReform1,530.9%
2012Bennie ThompsonDemocratic214,97867.1%Bill MarcyRepublican99,16031.0%Cobby WilliamsIndependent4,6051.4%Lajena WilliamsReform1,5010.5%
2014Bennie ThompsonDemocratic100,68867.7%Troy RayIndependent36,46524.5%Shelley ShoemakeReform11,4937.7%
2016Bennie ThompsonDemocratic192,34367.1%John BouleRepublican83,54229.1%Troy RayIndependent6,9182.4%Johnny McLeodReform3,8231.3%
2018Bennie ThompsonDemocratic158,92171.8%Troy RayIndependent48,10421.7%Irving HarrisReform14,3546.5%
2020Bennie ThompsonDemocratic196,33166.2%Brian FlowersRepublican101,03733.9%
2022Bennie ThompsonDemocratic108,28560.1%Brian FlowersRepublican71,88439.9%
2024Bennie ThompsonDemocratic177,88562.0%Ron EllerRepublican108,95638.0%

National politics

Thompson was the Permanent Chair of the 2020 Democratic National Convention.[45]

Lawsuit against Trump

On February 16, 2021, on behalf of Thompson, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) filed a federal lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of inciting violence on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol assault. The suit came three days after Trump was acquitted in the second Senate impeachment trial for inciting the riot. After the acquittal, Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said in a speech he voted to acquit Trump because he believes the Senate cannot try a former president, but encouraged litigation against Trump, saying: “We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one.”[46] Included in the lawsuit as defendants are Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and the two organizations the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. The lawsuit alleges that, by preventing Congress “by the use of force, intimidation, and threat” from carrying out its constitutional duties (the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count) Trump, Giuliani and the two hate groups violated the 1871 Third Enforcement Act (also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act).[47][48][49]

Personal life

Thompson is married to London Johnson of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, and has a daughter, BendaLonne, a granddaughter, Jeanna, and a grandson, Thomas.[50] He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity (Gamma Rho – Tougaloo College) and a lifetime member of the Asbury United Methodist Church in Bolton.

See also

References

  1. ^ “Rep. Bennie Thompson”. GovTrack. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Committee on House Administration, U.S. House of Representatives (2008). Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 736. ISBN 978-0-16-080194-5 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c Joint Committee on Printing, United States Congress (2011). Official Congressional Directory of the 112th Congress. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-1608-8653-9 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ “3 Jan 1980, Page 15 – Clarion-Ledger at”. Newspapers.com. January 3, 1980. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  5. ^ “31 Mar 1993, 1 – The Clarksdale Press Register at”. Newspapers.com. March 31, 1993. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  6. ^ “14 Apr 1993, 1 – The Clarksdale Press Register at”. Newspapers.com. April 14, 1993. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  7. ^ a b “Bush carries Electoral College after delay – Jan 6, 2005”. CNN.com. January 6, 2005. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  8. ^ Salvato, Albert (December 29, 2004). “Ohio Recount Gives a Smaller Margin to Bush”. The New York Times.
  9. ^ ‘We have to get it right,’ Dem vows as Jan. 6 probe begins”. The Independent. July 30, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  10. ^ Fox, Lauren; Herb, Jeremy; Grayer, Annie; Nobles, Ryan (July 12, 2021). ‘We’ll do this work as long as it takes’: Thompson readies for political fight leading Jan. 6 investigation”. CNN. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  11. ^ “11 House Members to Sue Over Budget Bill”. Fox News. Associated Press. April 27, 2006. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2007.
  12. ^ “Judge Dismisses Budget Bill Lawsuit”. ABC News. Associated Press. November 6, 2006. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
  13. ^ “Gitmo transfer to Yemen in doubt”. United Press International. December 27, 2009. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. ‘I’d, at a minimum, say that whatever we were about to do we’d at least have to scrub (those plans) again from top to bottom,’ said House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.
  14. ^ Josh Gerstein (December 27, 2009). “Bomb plot complicates Gitmo plan”. Politico. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013.
  15. ^ “H.R. 6129”. govtrack.us.
  16. ^ Pete Kasperowicz (July 17, 2012). “House Dems look to ban auto insurers from using credit scores to set rates”. The Hill.
  17. ^ “H.R. 6159”. govtrack.us. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  18. ^ Pete Kasperowicz (July 20, 2012). “Dems would require pilot trainees to be checked against terror watchlist”. The Hill. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  19. ^ “Rep. Thompson Moves to Close Flight Training Loophole”. Helicopter Association International. July 23, 2012. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  20. ^ “Congressional Chronicle”. C-Span website Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  21. ^ Hicks, Josh (July 31, 2014). “Does the government have a problem with ‘runaway’ document classification?”. The Washington Post. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  22. ^ Moreno, J. Edward (April 1, 2020). “Democrats introduce bill to set up commission to review coronavirus response”. The Hill. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  23. ^ Schultz, Marisa (March 4, 2021). “Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson explains why he was only Dem to vote against massive HR 1 election bill”. Fox News. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  24. ^ “Ranking Member Thompson Introduces Legislation to Ensure No Secret Service Protection for Convicted Felons Sentenced to Prison | House Committee on Homeland Security”. democrats-homeland.house.gov. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  25. ^ Harrison, Heather (April 23, 2024). “Thompson: Ban Secret Service For Imprisoned Presidents”. Mississippi Free Press. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  26. ^ “Chairman Thompson Statement on Domestic Terrorist Attack on Capitol | House Committee on Homeland Security”. Homeland.house.gov.
  27. ^ “Pelosi announces plans for ‘9/11-type commission’ to investigate Capitol attack”. Edition.cnn.com. February 15, 2021.
  28. ^ Meryl Kornfield; Karoun Demirjian; Mike DeBonis (February 16, 2021) [2021-02-15]. “Pelosi says there will be a 9/11 Commission-style panel to examine Jan. 6 Capitol riot”. The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.[please check these dates]
  29. ^ “Partisan Haggling Dampens Urgent Calls for Jan. 6 Answers”. Bloomberg.com. March 11, 2021.
  30. ^ “Chairman Thompson Announces Bipartisan Agreement with Ranking Member Katko to Create Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the Capitol | House Committee on Homeland Security”. Homeland.house.gov. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  31. ^ Naylor, Brian (May 28, 2021). “Senate Republicans Block a Plan for an Independent Commission on Jan. 6 Capitol Riot”. NPR.
  32. ^ “The House just voted to approve a bill to create a Jan. 6 commission. Here are key things to know”. CNN. May 19, 2021.
  33. ^ “Senate Republicans Filibuster January 6 Commission Legislation and Fail to Stand up for Democracy | House Committee on Homeland Security”. Homeland.house.gov.
  34. ^ Cowan, Richard; Lambert, Lisa (July 1, 2021). “Pelosi names Liz Cheney, veteran Democrats to U.S. panel probing Jan. 6 riot”. Reuters. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  35. ^ Lee O. Sanderlin. (September 8, 2021). “Bennie Thompson can do the job: How the Congressman’s career prepared him for Jan. 6 investigation”. Clarion Ledger website Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  36. ^ “A Survey of House and Senate Committee Rules on Subpoenas” (PDF). Sgp.fas.org. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  37. ^ “Bennie G. Thompson”. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  38. ^ “Membership”. Congressional Black Caucus. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  39. ^ “Members”. Afterschool Alliance. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Mississippi’s 2nd congressional district

1993–present
Incumbent
Preceded by

Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee
2007–2011
Succeeded by

Preceded by

Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee
2019–2023
Succeeded by

New office Chair of the House January 6th Committee
2021–2023
Position abolished
Party political offices
Preceded by

Permanent Chair of the Democratic National Convention
2020
Succeeded by

U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by

United States representatives by seniority
17th
Succeeded by


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