美国国家公共电台 NPR--Jan. 6 committee Chair Bennie Thompson says the U.S. came close to losing democracy

Jan. 6 committee Chair Bennie Thompson says the U.S. came close to losing democracy

Transcript¹

Mississippi Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson is facing one of the most high-profile moments in a political career spanning more than 50 years — leading this month's hearings intended to show Americans what fueled the violence of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Some who tune³ in to Thursday's prime-time hearing will encounter for the first time the chairman, a political leader from rural Mississippi with deep roots in civil rights activism.

"I'm a passionate⁴ believer that, in a democracy you have to follow the rule of law," Thompson told NPR. "It has nothing to do with individuals, it has nothing to do with wealth. It has nothing to do with status in the community. It's the law. The law is colorblind."

That personal history, said Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, made Thompson the perfect fit to chair the select committee investigating the insurrection.

"We have so many people over here who are much more interested in the headline than they are in making headway," Clyburn recently told NPR. "Bennie is not interested in making the headlines."

While Thompson's work as a small town leader taught him how to listen, a skill critical for getting to the bottom of the insurrection, Clyburn said the most important quality he brings to his role leading the committee is his search for a more perfect union.

"Here he is, growing up, under the imperfections of this country — being affected⁵ adversely⁶ by this country's imperfections. Yet he is one being looked to now to do what is necessary to preserve it," Clyburn said.

From segregation⁷ to rising through the ranks to Congress

The Mississippi town where Thompson grew up, Bolton, had a whites-only pool and park. As a teen, he traveled 51 miles past two schools for whites to attend one for Black students.

"I never saw my hometown of Bolton when I was in high school during the day, because I caught the bus at night. It was so early in the morning, I got back so late, it was dark," he told a national civil rights symposium⁸ in 1989 as he was fighting for equal access for Black people in education and at the ballot⁹ box.

By then, Thompson had defied racial barriers to become an alderman in that same town, followed by roles as a mayor and then county supervisor¹⁰.

In 1993, he won a special election to represent his majority African American district in Congress, which is anchored by the state capital in Jackson. Three years ago, he became chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

"It's kind of interesting that somebody like Bennie Thompson, with the experiences he had growing up in Mississippi, would be the one that was out there trying to keep this democracy on track," said Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat² who is a bit of a kindred spirit and is often seen having extended conversations with him during hours-long floor votes.

When House Democrats¹¹ moved last year to create the select committee to investigate how the deadly siege on the Capitol originated and transpired¹², Clyburn saw Thompson as a perfect fit to lead it. He made the case to Speaker Nancy Pelosi that Thompson's civil rights work and unflappable nature positioned him to face off against powerful opponents, including former President Donald Trump¹³ and a vast share of the Republican Party.

Pelosi appeared to agree, selecting him as chairman after the panel was created.

"Chairman Thompson is the chair of one of the committees of jurisdiction¹⁴, Homeland Security, and this was an assault on our homeland security and he commands a great deal of respect in our caucus¹⁵ and I'm very proud of what he is doing," Pelosi told NPR.

Managing the committee fairly while learning the truth

Now, Thompson is readying his committee of seven Democrats and two Republicans for hearings starting Thursday. The hearings draw from interviews with more than 1,000 witnesses and more than 100,000 pieces of evidence.

The committee's makeup¹⁶ has brought about new connections with Republicans for the lifelong Democrat.

The committee's vice¹⁷ chair, Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney, said she did not really know him before the committee was formed a year ago.

She's been watching how he manages the committee and the issues and she's been "really impressed with him," particularly as Thompson steers¹⁸ clear of partisan¹⁹ arguments and debate that could slow down the committee's work, Cheney said.

"He's very focused always on the substance and on the facts," she said.

Thompson says he's calling it as he sees it on the investigation²⁰ into the Jan. 6 attack that was intended to keep Congress from certifying²¹ the 2020 presidential election results. And he says he's gained a new education about the danger the country faced that day, which he aims to share through the hearings.

For Thompson, preserving democracy today means telling the full story of the attack on the Capitol and ensuring its moment in history is one that Americans never forget.

"I have learned a lot about how perilously²² close we came on January 6 to losing this democracy as a lot of us have come to know and love it."

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

4 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 adversely   

ad.有害地

参考例句：

• We commented adversely upon the imbecility of that message of telegraphic style. 我们对着这条电报式的愚蠢的留言发泄了一通不满。
• Widely fluctuating exchange rates may adversely affect international trade. 浮动幅度很大的汇率可能会对国际贸易产生有害的影响。

7 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

8 symposium   

n.讨论会，专题报告会；专题论文集

参考例句：

• What have you learned from the symposium?你参加了这次科学讨论会有什么体会？
• The specialists and scholars present at the symposium come from all corners of the country.出席研讨会的专家学者们来自全国各地。

9 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

10 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

11 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 transpired   

（事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生

参考例句：

• It transpired that the gang had had a contact inside the bank. 据报这伙歹徒在银行里有内应。
• It later transpired that he hadn't been telling the truth. 他当时没说真话，这在后来显露出来了。

13 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

14 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

15 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

16 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

17 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

18 steers   

n.阉公牛，肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• This car steers easily. 这部车子易于驾驶。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Good fodder fleshed the steers up. 优质饲料使菜牛长肉。 来自辞典例句

19 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

20 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

21 certifying   

（尤指书面）证明( certify的现在分词 )； 发证书给…； 证明（某人）患有精神病； 颁发（或授予）专业合格证书

参考例句：

• Signed Commercial in quintuplicate, certifying merchandise to be of Chinese origin. 签署商业发票一式五份，证明产品的原产地为中国。
• Other documents certifying the truthfulness of the contents of the advertisements. （三）确认广告内容真实性的其他证明文件。

22 perilously   

adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地

参考例句：

• They were perilously close to the edge of the precipice. 他们离悬崖边很近，十分危险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It'seemed to me that we had come perilously close to failure already. 对我来说，好像失败和我只有一步之遥，岌岌可危。 来自互联网