"The conspiracy to thwart the will of the people is not over," Democratic U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson, the committee's chairman, said in excerpts of his opening statement. "There are those in this country who thirst for power but have no love or respect for what makes America great: devotion to the Constitution, allegiance to the rule of law, our shared journey to build a more perfect union."

Thompson opened the hearing reminding people in the room and a national television audience of the oath of office that members of Congress take. Thompson said lawmakers "swear an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. That oath was put to test on Jan. 6, 2021" by domestic enemies with the encouragement of the president of the United States.

"Donald Trump lost the presidential election in 2020. The American people voted him out of office. It was not because of a rigged system. It was not because of voter fraud," Thompson added.

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