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

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., introduces Vice President Harris at Delta Center Stage in Greenville, Miss., on April 1. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

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 tune 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.