Kinzinger Dishes That Most Republicans Believe 1/6 Was ‘Trump-Incited Insurrection’ But ‘Purposely Avoid’ Watching Riot Videos
On the six-month anniversary of the January 6 Capitol insurrection, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said on CNN Tuesday night that the vast majority of his Republican colleagues believe that Donald Trump incited the deadly events of that day.
Kinzinger, along with Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) have been the two most outspoken anti-Trump Republican lawmakers in Congress. He voted to impeach Trump in January.
Anderson Cooper asked Kinzinger if he thinks his GOP colleagues keep up with the ongoing investigations and cases tied to that day. “Do you think your Republican colleagues even watch those videos or try to stay up to speed on various investigations?”
Kinzinger replied in the negative:
No, I don’t think so. I think they purposely avoid it. I mean I think the vast majority, if not all of them, my colleagues believe that this was a Trump-incited insurrection. But when you are in a tribe and you know, if you say something truthful that gets you kicked out of the tribe, you keep your head down and you stay in the tribe. I don’t think they believe it, but if you watch the videos, you get that tinge of guilt. And it’s much easier to just paper over that tinge of guilt, hope that this organically just kind of fixes the glitch and nobody is willing to step up. It’s disappointing, of course. It’s sad.
And I think what’s even more sad, Anderson, is not that so many people that aren’t acknowledging the truth. It’s that there are millions of people – base voters, Republican voters, many in my district – that believe the Big Lie.
“Does it frustrate you at all that this [position] could get you voted out of Congress?” asked Cooper.
“Look, it makes me sad,” said the congressman. “Sad because I know this is true. All my colleagues know this is true. It’s confusing because I thought so many of the people I know, like Kevin McCarthy, had a red line that they just wouldn’t cross, that there would be no payoff worth crossing that line. It feels isolating. But I’m going to tell you seriously, it actually is very peaceful because I know I can say what’s true.”
A week after the riot, House Minority Leader McCarthy said on the House floor that Trump was responsible for the riot. “The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters,” he said. “He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.”
McCarthy has since walked back this statement, and claimed that Trump was actually unaware of the riot until McCarthy informed him.
Earlier that day, Trump held a rally in Washington, D.C. and suggested that the crowd march to the Capitol and “show strength.”
Watch above via CNN.
