During an appearance on ABC News on Sunday, Rep. Adam Kinzinger revealed that the January 6 Panel investigating the attack on the US Capitol has more compromising text messages that it hasn’t released to the public yet and hinted that the members of Congress who sent the messages and former President Donald Trump could be subpoenaed for their roles in the deadly insurrection.
“Nobody — member of Congress, former president, nobody — in America is above the law,” Kinzinger told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Kinzinger also said the committee would subpoena Trump if they determine it’s necessary, ABC News’s Julia Cherner reported.
“Nobody should be above the law, but we also recognize we can get the information without him at this point, and, obviously, when you subpoena the former president, that comes with a whole kind of, you know, circus environment. But if we need him, we’ll do it,” Kinzinger said according to ABC.
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On Tuesday evening, Kinzinger and fellow GOP Rep. Liz Cheney joined Democrats in the House in voting to hold Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, in contempt of Congress. Meadows defied a subpoena to appear for a deposition before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.
“Prior to the vote, members of the committee unveiled text messages sent to Meadows during the attack on the Capitol, reading aloud texts from Republican lawmakers, Fox News personalities and the former president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., that implored Meadows to get Trump to denounce the rioters. Rep Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was one of the GOP lawmakers whose texts to Meadows were revealed,” ABC’s Julia Cherner writes.
“The new messages were part of the approximately 9,000 documents Meadows turned over to the committee, before he reversed course and decided to not cooperate with the investigation,” Cherner noted.
Kinzinger said he’s “not sure” whether Meadows knew how damaging the text messages would be, but emphasized he had no choice given the committee’s legal authority.
Kizinger then revealed that the Committee has more evidence in the form of text messages yet to be released.
“I will tell you, yes, there are more texts out there we haven’t released,” he added.
Karl pressed Kinzinger on the possibility of the Justice Department filing criminal charges based on what the committee finds, given that it is a crime to obstruct the official proceedings of Congress.
“Are you sending a message that the Justice Department should be prosecuting not just those that broke into the building on Jan. 6, but should be prosecuting Donald Trump himself or at least investigating that possibility?” Karl asked.
“I think investigating that possibility, for sure,” Kinzinger responded. “Our committee is getting more information than law enforcement agencies and DOJ, because we’ve had the power and the ability to get that done.”
“Whatever information we get will be public record, and the DOJ should take a look, particularly if there’s criminal charges to be filed, because again, the big thing is as bad as it was on Jan. 6, there’s really nothing in place to stop another one from happening again,” he added. “If somebody broke the law, it is so essential that we send the message that you are not untouchable as president — you’re not untouchable as a former president.”
Kinzinger also criticized House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for his cowardice and submission to Trump.
“Kevin McCarthy himself I think made Donald Trump relevant again when two weeks after Jan. 6 or so, he went back down to Mar-a-Lago and brought him back to political life by putting his arm around him and taking that picture and basically sending the signal to the rest of the Republicans that were pretty quiet at this moment, that we got to get back on the Trump train.”
“He bears responsibility for that,” he added. “I don’t think history books are going to be kind to him.”
Watch segments of the interview below from ABC News.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger tells @jonkarl “it’s possible" some of his GOP colleagues in Congress are responsible for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
"I will tell you, yes, there are more texts out there we haven’t released.” https://t.co/DrxF56htoo pic.twitter.com/mIwF0Z9VOE
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) December 19, 2021
Rep. Adam Kinzinger tells @jonkarl that he “absolutely” thinks his colleagues should be subpoenaed to testify before the House committee on Jan. 6 if necessary.
“Nobody—member of Congress, former president—nobody in America is above the law.” https://t.co/MfsZEjNKU8 pic.twitter.com/rHpGf5aoAZ
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) December 19, 2021
“I don't think history books are going to be kind to him.”
GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger knocks House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, says he brought former Pres. Trump "back to political life" after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. https://t.co/PNZ2yryejT pic.twitter.com/8OhvwR7AN7
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) December 19, 2021
