Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Wednesday said that former President Trump was “absolutely guilty of a crime” related to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
Kinzinger told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead” that it is clear that Trump was entirely aware of what he was doing in relation to the events that took place on January 6th. He had had an event “He pressured the Justice Department officials to say, ‘Hey, just say the election was stolen and leave the rest to me.’”.
The outgoing Republican lawmaker is only one of the two Republicans to have been members of the House select committee responsible for the investigation into the events leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. In this latest interview, Kinzinger also pointed out that there were more than three hours between the start of the riot and the moment when Trump posted the video telling rioters to go home.
While Kinzinger is a member of the House committee the power to press charges lies with the Department of Justice so it will be up to them to decide whether or not Trump is going to face charges.
Kinzinger finally noted that it was not indecisiveness that led to Trump’s inactivity on the day, but rather it was his active attempts to resist any pressure that he was facing both from his staff, family and allies. He only made a move after he had realized that there was no chance of success and that law enforcement had turned the tide.
