Adam Kinzinger has told President-elect Donald Trump to “bring it on” after the incoming president said that members of the January 6 investigation committee should face jail time.
The former Illinois congressman, who was one of two Republicans alongside Liz Cheney to serve on the committee, challenged Trump to give him jail time, writing that the president-elect was “rewriting history” and “playing the victim.”
The comments came after Trump told NBC on Sunday that the committee had unfairly prosecuted him, saying: “Everybody on that committee … for what they did, yeah, honestly, they should go to jail.”
This was not the first time Trump had taken aim at the January 6 committee. Last year in March, the then-presidential candidate posted on Truth Social that they “should be prosecuted for their lies and, quite frankly, TREASON!”
Kinzinger was also among the ten Republicans to vote to impeach Trump for incitement of insurrection. He left the house in 2022 after deciding not to seek re-election.
Newsweek contacted the Trump transition team for clarification on how the new administration would be approaching convictions via email.
Getty Images
Writing on his Substack newsletter, Kinzinger addressed Trump directly, saying: “If Donald wants to pursue this vindictive fantasy, I say bring it on. I’m not intimidated by a man whose actions on January 6th showed a cowardly disregard for democracy and the rule of law.
“A man too frightened to serve in the military, and a who requires a strong man like Putin to feel secure. While his supporters were attacking the Capitol, Trump sat in the White House, watching in glee as law enforcement and elected officials scrambled to protect our republic.
“Donald, go ahead and try to rewrite history. Use your platform to deflect blame, point fingers, and play the victim. But the evidence speaks louder than your words. History will remember the January 6 Committee as defenders of democracy—and you, as a man who betrayed it.”
Liz Cheney, the vice chair of the committee and the only other Republican alongside Kinzinger, also condemned the incoming president’s statements, describing the suggestion of jail time as “assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.”
In a statement given to the New York Times, Cheney said: “Donald Trump’s suggestion that members of Congress who later investigated his illegal and unconstitutional actions should be jailed is a continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.”
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
