by Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said Sunday that he believes the Justice Department will indict former President Donald Trump after the House committee on Jan. 6 wrapped up its investigation detailing his lobbying campaign to overturn the elections.
“If this isn’t a crime, I don’t know what is. If a president can incite an insurrection and not be held accountable, then there really is no limit to what a president can or cannot do,” said Kinzinger, a committee member. said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“I think the Department of Justice will do the right thing. I think they will indict him and, frankly, I think he should,” she continued, pointing to the findings of the committee’s formal report of its 18-month investigation into the deadly 2021 Capitol riot.
Kinzinger said he believes Trump should be charged and convicted based on the evidence the committee uncovered.
“If he’s not guilty of a crime, then frankly I fear for the future of this country, because now every future president of this country can say here’s the bar: do everything you can to stay in power,” he said.
Kinzinger, who chose not to seek re-election, was one of two Republican lawmakers on the Jan. 6 committee. The panel is scheduled to dissolve when Republicans take control of the House in the new Congress.
The committee released its final report, spanning more than 800 pages, late last month after a final public meeting in which the nine members voted to recommend that the Justice Department file criminal charges against Trump while he makes another bid for the White House in 2024.
The full report details the committee’s arguments that heavily blame Trump and its false claims of widespread voter fraud for the January 6 attack.
Trump has repeatedly accused the committee of being driven by partisan politics. At the time of the criminal references, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung responded by repeating a statement the campaign had previously used, calling the panel a “kangaroo court” that “conducted show trials by supporters of Never Trump that they are a stain on the history of this country.” ”
