Democrats gathering in Chicago this week for the national convention will highlight the threat to democracy they say former President Donald Trump poses, giving prominent speaking roles to lawmakers and a Capitol Police officer injured in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
A representative of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign told CNN that speakers included Representatives Jamie Raskin and Bennie Thompson, both of whom served on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. That committee ultimately recommended in its 2022 report that Trump be barred from running for office again.
Retired St. Aquilino Gonell, one of the Capitol Police officers injured in the Jan. 6 attack, will also speak at the convention.
“Donald Trump’s failure to condemn the violence on January 6, 2021, is a betrayal of every police officer who put their life on the line that day – and every veteran who risked everything to defend our country,” Gonell, who supports Harris, said in a statement to CNN. “You can’t say you support police or the Constitution when you offer pardons to criminals who have tried to destroy our democracy, harm our leaders and attack law enforcement.”
Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who also served on the Jan. 6 committee, is scheduled to speak at the convention on Thursday, CNN previously reported.
The so-called Tennessee Three – state representatives Justin Jones, Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson – are also expected to speak at the convention. Jones and Pearson were expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives last year after the three representatives led a protest against gun control on the floor of the House. They have since been re-elected.
Before President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, he made the argument that Trump posed a threat to democracy a driving force of his candidacy.
As a new presidential candidate, Harris has paid less attention to the issue – a marked departure from Biden’s campaign. But Harris’ campaign team will make clear this week that it believes the issue is a key concern for voters.
“We will remind all Americans what is at stake in this election for freedom and the future of our democracy,” the campaign official said.
