Adam Kinzinger Pumps the Brakes on News of Potential Trump Indictment: ‘It’s Not the Enchilada Everybody’s Thinking’

Longtime Donald Trump critics and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) was surprisingly circumspect when reacting to news that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is likely preparing to indict the former president.

On Thursday, the New York Times reported that Trump will likely face criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels, who says she had an affair with Trump. The ex-president denies this.

Daniels received a payment of $130,000 from Trump’s then-personal attorney Michael Cohen in the run-up to the 2016 election. Trump subsequently reimbursed Cohen. That payment is believed to be the centerpiece of a five-year-long probe into whether Trump violated campaign finance laws via the payment, which could constitute an unreported in-kind campaign contribution.

Appearing on CNN moments after the news broke, Kinzinger appeared unimpressed by the development.

“I guess it’s a big story to an extent,” he said. “It’s not the enchilada I think everybody is thinking. Obviously, the biggest thing I’m interested in is what happens on the Jan. 6 situation and stuff like that. But this obviously, there’s a lot of details I still don’t necessarily know about this case.”

Kinzinger served on the now-disbanded House Jan. 6 select committee, which investigated Trump’s actions in the lead-up to, and on the day of the 2021 Capitol riot.

“If in fact he is charged with a crime, do you think he could still run for president?” asked Wolf Blitzer.

“I think he absolutely will still run because it actually will probably make him more popular within the GOP,” Kinzinger responded. “He’s so good at being a victim. It’s amazing that in this kind of culture that they have where it’s supposed to be about strength and manhood, he’s actually like the biggest victim ever. But I think he will play the victim card in this, probably will help him in the primary. And short of being convicted of a felony, it’s not gonna him [from] running.”

Trump declared his candidacy in November, after which, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to continue the Justice Department’s multi-pronged probe into the former president.

Watch above via CNN.