Former Jan. 6 panel chair touts bill targeting Secret Service protection for felons

A new

bill

has been introduced in Congress that, if passed, would remove Secret Service

protection

from convicted

felons

sentenced to prison. Congressman Bennie Thompson proposed such legislation on Friday that would address the very specific scenario of a

secret

service

protecting D while having to serve time in jail. The proposal is a not-so-subtle dig at Donald Trump and a reminder that none of this is normal. We are joined now by the

former

chair

man of the January 6 committee, Democratic Congressman Benny Thompson of Mississippi. Good morning, president. It's a pleasure to have you at the Washington Post. The headline screams if Trump is convicted Secret Service

protection

may be an obstacle to incarceration.

I thank you for his legislation. I've been saying for some time that any

former

president or federal official who has this kind of protection and some of the other benefits of being a member of a former member of office should all go away, all the privileges, all the briefings, all of it. access should disappear until his status is clarified in the criminal justice system, what do you say sir, this legislation to me is long overdue? In this Trump world, well, thank you very much, I think it basically says that in America no one is above the law, even, so you know, it's very simple, the average man or woman on the street assumes that when violates the law if there are some benefits that you are receiving before you are convicted, you lose those benefits, as you know, all former presidents receive protection from the Secret Service, so that is a fact, but I think in this moment that we are looking at Now, Just as we have done in the past, we have amended the law regarding T-shirt protection, so when former Senator Robert Kennedy was assassinated, we amended the law to say that one party's candidates for president would receive protection, so this is an amendment to the current law that says, like in any other state, most of the time, when a person is convicted if there are some benefits associated with that person, for example, Social Security, if they go to prison and receives the Social Security that benefits. cut right then until you get out so some normal things happen and we're just expanding that to this current situation none of us dreamed we'd be here but we're someone with 91 felony charges. over your head uh someone who is intimidating uh future juror someone who the judge has to tell multiple times uh sit down uh I think it's a moment in this country that we have to address and because of this notion that somehow what happened in The January 6th didn't happen or didn't happen and what you saw with your own eyes didn't happen, there is something wrong with that so this makes it clear.

Make sure those individuals are in the highest position of power. I understand that there are sanctions that apply to you even when you are president of the United States, as I read the dishonoring of former protégés law. I was a little confused about whether this answer is specific to that person's time in prison or is it also applicable if they were to get out of prison. It is applicable to the later moment. Well, two things first of all, if you're in prison, you're in the custody of that system, so there's no point in duplicating it. protection, yes, now when you get out the spouse continues to receive protection, in the end that individual has to apply a lot, it depends on what the sentence is for that person and ultimately it is up to the Secret Service if they get them back.

You know, Congressman? I think, Mr. President, this is a really important conversation and a critical piece of legislation because in both legal and non-legal circles and on cable news and in newspapers, many people have said, and I mean, even in There, in that Washington Post headline, Michael made reference to, well, the Secret Service could be a barrier to Donald Trump or anyone like him, facing the consequences, but as you know, I mean you were the member of highest rank of National Security in the house. committee, there are very cushy prisons in this country, I mean, the president that Michael Cohen served is on Forbes' list of the top 10 country club presidents in the country, this idea that the

secret

service

is a barrier to accountability, I think that's not true, uh, but I wonder what you think, well, we wanted to clarify the law, you know the Secret Service is there to protect you, but that protection stops when it determines whether an individual has violated the law or No.

Every individual has a chance for his day. in court if they are accused if they are convicted uh in this case the moment that person is convicted and handed over to the custody of the authorities they lose that protection uh at that moment so there is no doubt uh and you've already seen them all the court hearings where when they leave that individual in the custody of whoever the president loses that protection at that moment, it is clear in this situation that the public has to understand that no one is above the law, that individual to who is entrusted with that Authority I also understand that he or she is not above the law and to be honest, as you know, I applauded the January 6th committee, there are many things that came up in our review, that causes me great pain. pause.

So I think anyone in the highest position of power would think better of some of the things he does if he understood that some of the characteristics that come with this job could be lost if you do the wrong thing, but look. uh 91 criminal charges uh it's clear something is wrong something went wrong and we need to at least address it. This is my way of approaching what most people assume already happens: if you break the law, there are certain benefits, uh, that shouldn't be. no longer applies and in this case that 24/7 Secret Service protection would no longer be in effect President given the current makeup of the House leadership what are the prospects of your legislation actually being passed in this Congress um or Is this something that you see that makes Republicans sleep with Way because they are again in protecting the business of protecting Donald Trump's profits, or is this something that you think you could defeat several Republicans, which enough to let it go because they like you to see the value of the argument you're making.

I think it's clear that this is a marker for the future. We have never discussed the presidential situation. Protect the situation. Although I am convinced. That if the current situation is based on the fact that former President Trump is convicted, I think a different place is needed. I think the speaker would find it difficult not to bring it into the room. I think the Senate would do it. In the same way, but clearly, in this great country of ours, when a person who left before his peers and is convicted, then it's over, you have lost many of those privileges that you were entitled to before the conviction, I am optimistic.

I know there's a lot of pressure, but this is a marker for future discussions and debates that largely depend on what happens in New York over the next few weeks. All right, Congressman Benny Thompson. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Hello everyone, MSNBC has a new and improved one. app you'll get real-time alerts and analysis live blogs in-depth essays highlights videos and the best coverage of the 2024 election download the new MSNBC app here's how to do it tap the App Store on your phone press search in the bottom right corner type MSNBC, you click on the MSNBC app, click get or cloud icon and enjoy it