Kinzinger says he warned McCarthy his words would lead to violence on Jan. 6

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Monday said he warned House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that his words would lead to violence on Jan. 6 but that his concerns were brushed away.

“A few days before Jan 6, our GOP members had a conference call. I told Kevin that his words and our party’s actions would lead to violence on January 6th,” Kinzinger wrote in a tweet.

“Kevin dismissively responded with ‘ok Adam, operator next question.’ And we got violence,” Kinzinger added.

A few days before Jan 6, our GOP members had a conference call. I told Kevin that his words and our party’s actions would lead to violence on January 6th. Kevin dismissively responded with “ok Adam, operator next question.” And we got violence.

— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) May 10, 2021

The Hill has reached out to McCarthy for comment.

Four days before a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, McCarthy expressed support for conservatives’ efforts to challenge President Biden’s Electoral College victory, telling The Hill, “I think it’s right that we have the debate.”

“I mean, you see now that senators are going to object, the House is going to object — how else do we have a way to change the election problems?” McCarthy added.

McCarthy in December also endorsed a Texas lawsuit that alleged widespread voter fraud.

Kinzinger, a vocal Trump critic, was one of the 10 GOP House members to vote to impeach former President Trump on a charge of inciting an insurrection following the events on Jan. 6.

In a virtual event with the National Press Club later on Monday, he said it is “important for people to know the truth” when it comes to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He said the events on that day were “entirely predictable and it was disregarded.”

“Look, I don’t know if Kevin two days prior, I’m not saying he could have done anything to stop it necessarily, you know, I don’t know. But I know that it was seeable by me and I think others,” Kinzinger added.

On Sunday, Kinzinger likened the current state of the Republican Party to the Titanic amid an internal push to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) — who also voted to impeach Trump and has been vocal about her party’s need to distance itself from the former president — from leadership.

“Right now, it’s basically the Titanic. We’re like, you know, in the middle of this slow sink. We have a band playing on the deck telling everybody it’s fine. And meanwhile, as I’ve said, you know, Donald Trump’s running around trying to find women’s clothing and get on the first lifeboat,” Kinzinger said.

“And I think there’s a few of us that are just saying, ‘Guys, this is not good,’ not just for the future of the party, but this is not good for the future of this country,” he added.

On Monday, Kinzinger said the people who foresaw the events on Jan. 6 taking a violent turn are now predicting that lying to voters will result in “a complete and utter destruction of the Republican Party.”

Kinzinger also zeroed in on McCarthy’s comments after the Jan. 6 insurrection, noting how his outlook on the Capitol attack shifted from condemnation to support for Trump.

“Liz Cheney is saying exactly what Kevin McCarthy said the day of the insurrection. She’s just consistently been saying it. And a few weeks later, Kevin McCarthy changed to attacking other people,” Kinzinger said.

He said the Republican Party needs to have “an internal look and a full accounting as to what led to Jan. 6.”

Also on Monday, Kinzinger said that he met with some GOP colleagues after the Jan. 6 insurrection to discuss forcing a vote of no confidence in McCarthy.

He added, however, that the group ultimately abandoned the idea after it did not get much traction.

—Updated at 6:10 p.m.