Kinzinger ‘holding out hope’ for Jan. 6 superseding indictment against Trump, others

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said Wednesday he is “holding out hope” there will be a superseding indictment against former President Trump and others in connection with the violence during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. 

Kinzinger, who served on the House Jan. 6 select committee, was asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead” if he was disappointed Trump is not directly facing charges connected to the violence of Jan. 6, 2021. 

“I would like to see it happen,” said Kinzinger, now a senior political commentator for CNN. “You know, that’s up to frankly the [Department of Justice] to figure out what that avenue is to charge somebody with. And I’m holding out hope here that there’s still going to be a superseding indictment, maybe more charges against the former president as they continue to get more information.”

“Maybe that next tier is going to be indicted, either these unindicted co-conspirators or even others, particularly on Jan. 6, so I’m still holding out a little hope on that,” he continued. “But regardless of what happens, this is important that the former president’s being held accountable to this level.”

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday indicted Trump for his attempts to stay in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election to President Biden. In the 45-page indictment, prosecutors allege Trump led a campaign of “dishonesty, fraud and conceit” to obstruct a “bedrock function” of a democracy. 

The indictment lists six unindicted, unnamed co-conspirators, though details appear to identify multiple Trump allies. Some of them were investigated on the House’s Jan. 6 committee, which recommended they also be charged.

The first co-conspirator listed in the indictment appears to be Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City who later served as one of Trump’s attorneys. Federal prosecutors allege Giuliani pressured lawmakers in several states to overturn the election results. 

“I think the intense extent to which Rudy Giuliani continued to try to lobby Congress both during and after the violence, it still blows me away and surprises me,” Kinzinger told Tapper.  

Kinzinger said last year Trump is “absolutely guilty” of a crime surrounding the Jan. 6 riot.