“I tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday and am experiencing mild symptoms,” Thompson said in a statement. “Fortunately, I am fully vaccinated and boosted. I am continuing to follow CDC guidelines and will be self-isolating for the next few days.”
Thompson’s positive test will not affect the committee’s upcoming prime-time hearing, which is scheduled for Thursday, even if the chairman is unable to attend, according to a committee spokesman.
“Although Chairman Thompson is disappointed by his COVID diagnosis, he instructed the special committee to proceed with the hearing on Thursday evening,” spokesman Tim Mulvey said in a statement. “Committee members and staff wish the chairman a speedy recovery.”
Thursday’s hearing focused on former President Donald Trump’s inaction during the 187 key minutes of the Jan. 6 attack. Matthew Pottinger, who served on former President Donald Trump’s National Security Council, and former Trump White House aide Sarah Matthews are expected to testify. Thompson and the committee’s vice chairman, Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, have played significant roles in each of the committee’s seven hearings so far. Thursday is the commission’s last scheduled public hearing, but members left open the possibility of more. The commission’s work continued Tuesday despite Thompson’s diagnosis. The panel met with former Trump White House aide Garrett Ziegler on Capitol Hill. A former aide to then-White House economic adviser Peter Navarro, Ziegler may be able to provide the committee with additional information about the circumstances surrounding a heated meeting in the Oval Office on December 18, 2020.
This story was updated with additional developments on Tuesday.
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