Kinzinger thinks Justice Department will 'do the right thing' and charge Trump

Jack Birle

January 01, 12:44 PM January 01, 12:44 PM

Outgoing Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) believes former President Donald Trump will be criminally charged by the Justice Department for his role in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Kinzinger, who served as one of two Republicans on the Jan. 6 committee, shared his belief that Trump acted criminally on CNN's State of the Union Sunday.

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"As we've gotten into this, I look, and I'm like if this is not a crime, I don't know what is. If a president can incite an insurrection and not be held accountable, then really there's no limit to what a president can and can't do," Kinzinger said.

The committee sent four criminal referrals to the DOJ regarding Trump last month, with all nine committee members unanimously voting for all four referrals.

"I think the Justice Department will do the right thing. I think he will be charged, and I frankly think he should be," Kinzinger said.

He also shared that he personally believes Trump should be charged and convicted of the crimes referred to by the committee.

"If he is not guilty of a crime, I frankly fear for the future of this country," Kinzinger said.

Jan. 6 committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) has also said he is "convinced" that the Department of Justice will charge Trump. The DOJ has moved its investigation of Trump to a special counsel after he announced a run for president in 2024.

Last week the Jan. 6 committee withdrew its subpoena of Trump as the investigation was completed, and the select committee will be dissolved by the next Congress.

Donald Trump is 'absolutely guilty' of a crime ahead of Jan. 6 report release: Kinzinger

Ryan King

December 15, 08:27 AM December 15, 08:31 AM

Former President Donald Trump is "absolutely guilty" of a crime in relation to the Jan. 6 riots, committee member and outgoing Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger said.

Kinzinger made the comments during an interview this week, discussing how Trump pressured officials at the Justice Department to say the election was "stolen" and sat in the Oval Office "actively resisting pressure" to quell the rioters.

"I have to caveat it with that I'm not a Justice Department official. They have different levels of standards," Kinzinger told CNN. "I think he is absolutely guilty. And if he is not guilty of some kind of a crime, I mean, what we've basically said is presidents are above the law and they can do everything short of a coup as long as it doesn't succeed."

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"[Trump] knew what was happening prior to Jan. 6, he pressured the Justice Department officials to say, 'Hey, just say the election was stolen and leave the rest to me,'" Kinzinger continued. "Then you look at the 187 minutes where he sat in his office, not indecisive, I think indecisive would be probably complementary. He was actively resisting pressure from his family and from his staff to stop that from happening."

The Jan. 6 committee is poised to hold its final public meeting on Dec. 19 and is expected to unveil any criminal referrals from its investigation. It has reportedly been mulling criminal referrals for Trump, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorney John Eastman, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark.

Then, on Dec. 21, the panel will release its long-anticipated final report, committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) told reporters this week. Criminal referrals are nonbinding, and it will be up to law enforcement agencies to decide whether or not to move forward with criminal charges.

Even if the DOJ doesn't pursue criminal charges against Trump, Kinzinger insisted the committee's efforts will not have been in vain.

"The information that who is responsible — that's very important. Showing the American people the true nature of what happened — that's very important. Where I think this work is going to actually echo the loudest though is not even necessarily tomorrow," Kinzinger added. "It's going to echo through the history books."

As the panel wraps up its work, newly appointed special counsel Jack Smith is spearheading the DOJ's investigations related to Trump, including Trump's actions surrounding the Capitol riot and coinciding efforts to thwart the 2020 election. Trump, who launched his 2024 campaign last month, has denied wrongdoing and blasted both Smith and the Jan. 6 committee for conducting a witch hunt.

Kinzinger opted not to vie for reelection in the midterm elections and is set to depart Congress in January.

Trump 'gleefully' watched Television on Jan. 6: Kinzinger previews summer season hearings finale

Julia Johnson

July 17, 12:57 PM July 17, 12:57 PM

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) claimed previous President Donald Trump "gleefully" viewed television in the course of the Capitol riot.

The congressman made the comment even though previewing the up coming Jan. 6 committee hearing for the duration of an look Sunday on CBS News's Confront the Country.

"The truth is — I’ll give you this preview, the president didn’t do quite a lot but gleefully view television in the course of this time body," Kinzinger claimed.

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"I understood what I felt like as a U.S. congressman," Kinzinger explained. "If I was a president sworn to defend the Constitution, that consists of the legislative branch. Viewing this on television, I know I would have been going ballistic to check out to preserve the Capitol. He did really the opposite."

The panel is set to concentrate its final prepared summer hearing on the 187 minutes members say Trump "refused to act" for the duration of the Capitol riot.

Through that interval, Trump tweeted 2 times — once at 2:38 p.m., expressing, "Remember to aid our Capitol Law enforcement and Law Enforcement. They are genuinely on the aspect of our Nation. Stay tranquil!" and then at 3:13 p.m., indicating, "I am inquiring for all people at the U.S. Capitol to remain tranquil. No violence! Bear in mind, WE are the Party of Law & Purchase — respect the Law and our terrific adult males and girls in Blue. Thank you!" At last, at 4:17 p.m., Trump posted a video clip telling the rioters, "You have to go house now. We have to have peace. We have to have legislation and order.”

"The president failed to do something?" asked host Margaret Brennan.

"The president did not do anything," Kinzinger said.

The future listening to will air during primary-time hours on Thursday and will be led by Kinzinger along with Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA). This listening to will target on Trump's inaction throughout the riot.

The congressman also commented on the committee's choice to subpoena the Solution Assistance for deleted text messages on the day of the Capitol riot and the day previous it.

"I feel we’re heading to know far more Tuesday," he said in response to whether he thought the textual content deletions were malicious. "We designed the determination as the committee that we need to have to subpoena the documents."

The Top secret Support claims the messages ended up not maliciously deleted.

"They claim it was this technological improve — 'We moved anything, we shed these texts' — and then they also set out a assertion, though, that said, 'We’ve only dropped some of the texts, and every little thing pertinent to this investigation has been turned in excess of.' So, those are incredibly conflicting statements," Kinzinger claimed.

"So we determined as a committee, 'Let’s ask for these by Tuesday, and we can make a selection.' I will say this, in the pretty the very least, it is really outrageous that the Mystery Provider would basically close up deleting something linked to just one of the much more notorious times in American background, specifically when it comes to the position of the Mystery Support," Kinzinger reported.

Luria in the same way previewed the listening to on Sunday, teasing, "There is other witnesses we’ve spoken to who have however to appear in our former hearings, who will insert a whole lot of benefit and information and facts to situations of that vital time on Jan. 6."

According to her, former White Residence counsel Pat Cipollone's testimony will be showcased in the hearing, together with that of other witnesses.

Kinzinger reveals additional witnesses but no corroboration of 'inspiring' Cassidy Hutchinson

Daniel Chaitin

July 03, 10:08 AM July 03, 10:18 AM

Extra witnesses have approached the Jan. 6 committee adhering to blockbuster testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, who was an aide to previous White Dwelling main of workers Mark Meadows.

He failed to title names, but Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL), one particular of two Republican associates on the panel, informed CNN on Sunday that the 25-yr-previous former White House aide was "inspiring for a lot of people."

The congressman stated "certainly" when questioned if new witnesses have occur forward since Hutchinson testified. Nonetheless, Kinzinger insisted much more people are lining up to communicate with congressional investigators all the time, not just right after this a single listening to.

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Hutchinson's testimony has appear under expanding scrutiny and faced some pushback.

An spot of considerable concentration has been the story of a wild presidential SUV journey on the working day of the Capitol riot. Hutchinson testified that she listened to Trump grabbed at the steering wheel and applied his no cost hand to "lunge" at the neck of his head of protection when informed on Jan. 6 right after his speech on the Ellipse that they could not head to the Capitol.

Trump called it a "fake tale," and the Key Company claims it has "been cooperating thoroughly with the pick committee since its inception in spring of 2021 and we will go on to do so by responding formally and on the document to the committee regarding new allegations that surfaced in today’s testimony." And reporting by the Washington Write-up previous week indicated congressional investigators deficiency "immediate proof" to back up the promises.

Refusing to spending plan, Kinzinger claimed he was "not going to say what we do or don't have in phrases of corroboration." Still, he explained, the committee finds Hutchinson to be "credible" and predicted people will not quickly forget her title.