The shebeen has always been a fan of Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the House select committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021. He may not have received the hype that has enfolded every move made by Rep. Liz Cheney, but watching him preside at the hearings was to see a guy with the determination of a dangerous fighter for the late rounds. And he kept the committee on course despite having to attend to the dreadful water crisis back home in Jackson, Mississippi. And on Tuesday, Chairman Thompson dropped the hammer. From CBS News:

"Yes," the Mississippi Democrat said in response to a reporter's question on the topic [of criminal referrals]. He later said, "We have made decisions on criminal referrals." Thompson didn't reveal which witnesses the committee is considering for referrals, and he indicated that the panel has not yet finalized the list of individuals it plans to refer. He said the committee plans to meet later Tuesday afternoon, and he expects the criminal referrals to be part of its discussion. Thompson also confirmed that the panel is examining whether any of the witnesses perjured themselves before the committee. The referrals, he said, would be separate from the committee's final report on the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol and would be contained in a document he sends to the Justice Department.

Thompson dodged questions about who, specifically, the committee might be dropping into Merrick Garland's already overflowing lap. Asked about the former president*, Thompson replied only, "Nice try." But the chairman clearly knows the identity of the lucky winners who will be getting honorary VIP passes to Depositionland and why they will receive them. From The New York Times:

Among the potential charges they have considered are conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress. A criminal referral carries no legal weight but would be a symbolic act by the panel putting forth an official finding that it believes a crime or crimes were committed, even though Congress has no power to charge or prosecute them.

The NYT, however, rushed to intimate that the chairman may have jumped the gun, and that anyway, he may not be a details guy.

Mr. Thompson, who is known for giving big-picture guidance about the investigation but being at times less involved in the granular details of its work, then suggested that that decision was no longer in question. “There’s a general agreement we will do some referrals, but we’ve got to get there,” he said. “We’re not there yet.”[...]Even so, Mr. Thompson’s comments were premature, several people familiar with the committee’s work said[...]“We will make an announcement when we have an announcement,” Ms. Lofgren told reporters. In a statement released after Mr. Thompson’s initial remarks, a spokesman for the committee said: “The committee has determined that referrals to outside entities should be considered as a final part of its work. The committee will make decisions about specifics in the days ahead.”

Garland is not the only person tiptoeing around potential legal consequences for a former president, or even a former president*. But we are headed into the late rounds and Bennie Thompson has a lot left.

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Charles P. Pierce

Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston and has three children.