Republican Says He ‘Fears For The Future’ If Trump Is Not Charged Over Jan 6 Riot – Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican, stated in a Sunday interview that he expects the Department of Justice “will do the right thing” and bring criminal charges against Donald Trump for his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. “I think he will be charged, and I frankly think he should be,” Kinzinger told CNN’s State of Union political talk show on Sunday morning.
The House select committee investigating the attack, on which Kinzinger sits, voted last month to refer the former president to the department of justice on charges of obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement, and “incite,” “assist,” or “aid or comfort” an insurrection. The proposals pertain to the former president’s part in supporting the uprising at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, where thousands of his radical fans attempted to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 victory over Donald Trump.
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“If he is not guilty of a crime, then I frankly fear for the future of this country because now every future president can say, ‘Hey, here’s the bar.’ And the bar is, do everything you can to stay in power,” Kinzinger said. Kinzinger was one of two Republicans on the Democratic-led January 6 select committee, which wrapped up its investigation prior to dissolving and the new Congress beginning on Tuesday, when Republicans will assume the majority in the House following last November’s midterm elections.
In June of last year, Kinzinger presided over one of the committee’s hearings that focused on alleged pressure imposed on the justice department by Trump or his associates as he attempted to convince them to overturn his 2020 defeat by falsely alleging widespread election fraud. Since 2011, he has represented Illinois in the House of Representatives. He spoke during the committee’s final sessions and on the eve of his departure from Congress.
Kinzinger also criticized Republican leaders for maintaining Trump’s influence on the US political landscape by downplaying the significance of the attack on the Capitol and Trump’s incitement of the riot and by supporting Trump’s false claims about elections being rigged in favor of Democrats. He accused powerful House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, who is currently vying to become the new House speaker, for the former president’s continued political influence. “He is the reason Donald Trump is still a factor,” Kinzinger said. “He is the reason that some of the crazy elements of the House still exist.”
McCarthy, he said, had visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Florida residence shortly after the January 6 insurrection. That show of mutual support at a pivotal moment “resurrected” Trump’s relevance in politics, strengthening the right. In McCarthy making the trip, he said, Republicans went from not knowing what to do about Trump to “begrudgingly” defending him. “Donald Trump should consider Kevin McCarthy his best friend because Donald Trump is alive today politically because of Kevin McCarthy,” Kinzinger added.
He noted that Senate then-majority leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans failed to convict Trump during his historic second impeachment for inciting insurrection. “The Republican party is not the future of this country unless it corrects,” he said. “If you think of a successful America in 20 years, that’s not going to be an America based on what Marjorie Taylor Greene wants or some of these radicals want,” he added, referring to the far-right Georgia congresswoman, who is sympathetic to the QAnon conspiracy theory, and her ilk.
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As the 2024 presidential election begins to take shape, Kinzinger expressed concern for American democracy, citing the fact that “maybe a third of the population” feels Trump stole the 2016 election. The congressman stated that he has no intention of seeking the Republican nomination for president. However, he agreed that it would be “fun” to run against Trump, who announced his 2024 campaign in November. “He stands up and just lies. He tells untruths. People love it because it’s entertaining but eventually people have a concern for their country. So, no, my intention is not to run in 2024. But it would be fun,” he said.
