JAKE TAPPER “Are you building a criminal case? I know you can’t charge, but are you building a criminal case for the Justice Department, potentially to charge Donald Trump with seditious conspiracy?”
BENNY THOMPSON: Well, we are building a case based on the facts and circumstances that our investigation determined. We’ve filed with the court in California, certain aspects of what our findings have been. And the judge ruled that there were certain things that the president is guilty of that —
TAPPER: Yes. Or could be guilty of?
THOMPSON: Could be guilty of.
TAPPER: Yes.
THOMPSON: But, as you said, that’s not our job. We are there to look solely at the facts and circumstance and provide recommendations to Congress.
Now, the Justice Department has inquired as to our sharing of our information. We expect to make that available to them at some point because this whole effort is a publicly funded endeavor. So, the public has a right to know.
TAPPER: But would you agree with the reporting that Jamie Gangel
offered earlier today, which is that you have a lot of audiences for your hearings, but there are also is Attorney General Merrick Garland as somebody that you expect and hope is watching. You are talking to him also. You are presenting a case for him to consider.
THOMPSON: Well, we are presenting the facts to the public. I think that if the attorney general gets an opportunity to view the entirety of our records, it would be very helpful to him. But that’s in his lane.
TAPPER: Yes.
THOMPSON: We are not trying to confuse the two. But at some point, we do plan to cooperate, if requested. And that’s what any law-abiding citizen would want to do.