At the Jan. 6 hearings, race isn't discussed much. Still, it's a central issue

Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the Jan. 6 Committee, speaks virtually during a hearing on July 21. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In the opening moments of the Jan. 6 Committee hearings, Chairman Bennie Thompson drew a line across history, connecting the Lost Cause to the Big Lie.

"I'm from a part of the country where people justify the actions of slavery, the Ku Klux Klan and lynching," Thompson began.