GOP Representative Adam Kinzinger Reveals His ‘Fear’ If Trump Isn’t Found Guilty

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) has revealed his “fear” if former President Donald Trump is not charged and convicted for his actions related to the Capitol insurgency.

In an interview with CNN where he discussed his work with the House Select Committee on January 6 and his departure from Congress, Kinzinger expressed concern that failing to hold Trump accountable could create a dangerous bar for future leaders. .

“If he’s 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 doing everything it can to stay in power,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash.

Kinzinger noted that he was “not a lawyer, not a Justice Department guy” and was expressing his personal opinion, but said it was obvious Trump’s actions were problematic “from a presidential perspective. , from the point of view of the oath”.

“As we stand there, I look, and I’m like, yeah, if that’s not a crime, I don’t know what is,” he said. “If a president can incite an insurgency and not be held accountable, then really, there is no limit to what a president can or cannot do.”

On December 22, the January 6 committee released its final report on Trump’s attempts to stay in power after losing the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. The committee also recently released transcripts of interviews it conducted with people close to Trump, including Donald Trump Jr., his fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle and former Trump adviser Stephen Miller.

The committee referred four criminal charges against Trump to the Justice Department on Dec. 19. But in October, Kinzinger said “the torch has already been passed” to the DOJ and the American people.

“Because we’re saying, ‘Here’s what the deal is, now it’s up to you to stop this from happening again, A, and really take control as a self-governing country,'” he told ABC “What kind of country do you want to live in? It’s not acceptable how we do it. We can do much better.”

Kinzinger is one of four committee members who will not return for the 118th Congress, which meets on Tuesday. Kinzinger announced in October 2021 that he would not run again. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Florida) also announced in 2021 that she would no longer be running. Two other members lost races — Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) lost her primary and Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) lost to her Republican opponent in the general election.