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INTIMIDATION: GOP Jan. 6th Committee member Adam Kinzinger targeted with death threats

INTIMIDATION: GOP Jan. 6th Committee member Adam Kinzinger targeted with death threats

INTIMIDATION: GOP Jan. 6th Committee member Adam Kinzinger targeted with death threats

House Select Committee member Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) has received a letter at home that threatened to execute the six-term Congressman, his wife, and their five-month-old baby. Kinzinger told George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week:

“This threat came in, it was mailed to my house. We got it a couple of days ago, and it threatens to execute me, as well as my wife and 5-month-old child. We’ve never seen or had anything like that.”

Kinzinger blames the lies surrounding the 2020 election and warns of more violence to come if those lies continue. One of two Republicans on the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection, Kinzinger has no doubt that Trump is guilty – or of the GOP’s complicity in pushing the Big Lie.  Business Insider reported Kinzinger as saying, “I certainly think the president is guilty of knowing what he did, seditious conspiracy, being involved in these, you know, kind of different segments of pressuring the DOJ, vice president, et cetera.”

The pressure Rep. Kinzinger is talking about refers to evidence uncovered during the January 6th investigation – and testimony on Thursday – revealing a detailed plot to get then-Vice President Pence to reject or delay the counting of state’s electoral votes. It is something the Trump camp — and Trump himself – knew was illegal. In the days leading up to the violence of January 6th, Trump’s attorney John Eastman sent a series of emails to Vice President Pence’s attorney, Greg Jacob trying to convince Pence to get on board with a plan to overturn the 2020 election results.

Pence ultimately refused – after talking to former Vice President Dan Quayle – and did his constitutional duty by certifying the election of Joe Biden as Trump’s successor.

Kinzinger has been on the outs with a Trump-loyal Republican Party since voting to impeach in January of 2021, exactly one week after the attack on the Capitol. He was one of only 10 Republicans to vote yes – including the only other GOP member of the House to sit on the investigative committee, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). As to be expected, Donald Trump went on the attack – and so did the Republican party.

In February 2021 – after the Senate voted to acquit the twice-impeached former President, Rep. Kinzinger was censured by his local Republican Party. Shortly after that, he received a hand-delivered letter from a cousin, signed by family members and disowning the Congressman. The letter said, according to The Washington Post, “It is now most embarrassing to us that we are related to you. You have embarrassed the Kinzinger family name!”

In October, Kinzinger posted a video announcing he would not seek re-election. While it was speculated that backlash from Trump’s impeachment was the reason, Kinzinger insists it is due to the Democratic “gerrymandering” of his district. Kinzinger on Twitter:

Kinzinger publicly stated that his career was at stake when he took an anti-Trump stance. He said in a press release after Trump’s acquittal in February of 2021 that he had no regrets and was “at total peace with my decision on impeachment.” He went on to say:

“Make no mistake, the damage being done to the state of our republic and the democratic values we hold dear is unacceptable. And the losses I’ll face pale in comparison to the stakes here. I am disappointed that the Senate was unwilling to hold former President Trump accountable for his actions. And I will be looking at alternate options to ensure responsibility and accountability so that what happened on January 6, 2021, will never happen again.”

No one should have to fear for their or their family’s lives for doing the right thing. But we can’t forget Kinzinger’s role in getting us where we are. He voted for Trump, he supported Trump’s policies. He voted against securing voting rights for all American voters. His warning to the public about upcoming violence? The writing was on the wall long ago. As the hearings continue on Tuesday, and the walls close tighter on Trump, we need to brace for things to definitely get worse before getting better.

Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick

Ty Ross
News journalist for Occupy Democrats.

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