Former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger is daring President Donald Trump to come after him for his work with the House Jan. 6 committee which investigated Trump’s role in the Capitol riots.
Kinzinger was on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper Monday reacting to a late-night social media rant from the president in which Trump claimed former President Joe Biden’s pardons for the members of Congress who investigated Trump were “VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER EFFECT.”
Those individuals, of which Kinzinger is one, are “subject to investigation at the highest level,” Trump added.
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In one of Biden’s final acts as president, he preemptively pardoned people whom Trump had identified during the campaign as his “enemies from within.” Trump is now dubiously arguing that the pardons might have been signed by an autopen—a signature-replicating machine which presidents have used for decades—making the pardons not “real.”
But former Republican congressman Kinzinger thinks Trump’s threats are just hot air, and has dared the president to arrest him. Telling host Jake Tapper that the Truth Social blitz is either a cry for attention or a distraction ploy, Kinzinger threw down the gauntlet.
“It’s like, bring it on. Like, honestly,” he said. “So, we had an election. I fought against Donald Trump. I wanted Kamala Harris to win. January 6th was a big thing, but America made a different choice. Fine. I’m ready to move on!”
“I’m like, look, we made it very clear what happened on January 6th. America made a decision. And there is one person that’s obsessed about the sixth because he still has been basically deemed guilty in the court of public opinion, and that’s Donald Trump. And he can’t handle it. He obsesses about it.”
Kinzinger, who did not ask for a pardon from Biden, then repeated his come-and-get-me message and said he and his fellow former Jan. 6 committee members will “crush” the president in court.
“So, my reaction to him is like, you know what? Then bring it! Like, stop talking about it! Stop being all verbose. Stop pretending like you’re tough,” he said.
“Bring the charges then if you really want to do it because we will crush you in court and it’ll make me three times more effective against you. Look, honestly Jake I’m ready to move on too but if he wants to keep bringing it up, bring it up or be quiet.”
Kinzinger was one of two Republicans, along with Liz Cheney, who served on the committee that found Trump liable and made a criminal referral against him.
In an X video posted Monday, Kinzinger said Trump was more “obsessed” with the pair than he is with his “golf score.”
“This dude knows that this is like the thing that embarrasses him. He won’t admit it embarrasses him because he’s trying to pretend like he didn’t do anything [but] he’s obsessed!” Kinzinger said.
“He’s more obsessed with me and Liz Cheney than his frickin' golf score,” Kinzinger added. “Hey Trump, bring it on dude! You weak, whiny, tiny man, who—by the way, I saw a photo of you this weekend, you’re hiking up your pants to just below your man boobs and you’re sweating so much like, uh, looking pretty bad there—but bring it, man!“
“Stop with all the big mouth talking stuff, you’re a grown man—you don’t talk like one—but you’re a grown man," Kinzinger said." Come on, dude, bring it.”
