Kinzinger: Jan. 6 will impact 2022 midterms if ‘Republicans don’t take ownership for what happened’

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said on Sunday that regardless of whether or not an independent commission is created to investigate the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, the riot l will impact the 2022 midterms “particularly if us as Republicans don’t take ownership for what happened.”

“Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace asked the Kinzinger, one of 35 House Republican who voted in favor of the commission, whether or not it was a political push on the part of Democrats to bring the controversy into the upcoming 2022 elections.

“Well … here’s a revelation: This is going into 2022 midterms anyway, particularly if us as Republicans don’t take ownership for what happened. If every other day there’s a new conspiracy theory about what happened in the Capitol, anybody but what it was and so yeah, then I think it’ll go into 2022,” Kinzinger said.

Kinzinger said that denial of what happened on Jan. 6 would have a lasting political impact on the 2022 elections, adding that he believes Republican voters have “had their patriotism abused by somebody that simply wants to use it to maintain power.”

Wallace asked the Illinois congressman if he thought House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) efforts in opposing the bill to create the commission were a conflict of interest, given that he would likely be called to testify about his conversations with former President Trump if it were created.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a conflict of interest because Kevin is the leader, there’s probably a lot of people that are going to be subject to being called in front of any investigation on this even criminal investigation, but I do think Kevin has failed to tell the truth to the Republicans and to the American people,” Kinzinger said.

“And it pains me to say it. It’s not like I enjoy standing up and saying this, but people, the 74 million voters that voted for Donald Trump that believe — a number of them that believe the election was stolen believe it because their leaders have not told him, otherwise,” Kinzinger added.

“The people they trust have either been silent or not told them the truth. That’s where Kevin has failed because he told the truth on January 13, something around then, and then he went to Mar-a-Lago and said Donald Trump’s the leader of the party. He’s right Donald Trump is the leader of the party, but we need to tell people the truth.”