Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) Thursday on CNN’s “New Day” called on his Republican colleagues to “denounce militia-ism.”
Anchor Brianna Keilar said, “The Capitol complex looks different this morning. We are seeing fences that have gone up ahead of this rally this weekend. The Justice for January 6, Justice for J-6 rally as it’s being called by its right-wing organizers. And most GOP lawmakers, I think sitting lawmakers are ignoring invitations to come. They’re not condemning the rally, though, and there are actually two Republican congressional candidates who are going to be in attendance. What do you think it be like to be sitting in the House chamber next to a member of Congress who supported, at a rally, people who broke into or tried to break into the House chamber?”
Kinzinger said, “I don’t know. Let’s keep in mind, Oath Keepers may try to sound like they’re some constitutional, America, flag-waving thing. No, they are all about the overthrow of the federal government.”
He added, “This overthrow-the-government fetish that exists, I don’t understand it, except there’s a lot of bored people out there that probably never served a day in the military and get to go play dress up. So, if one of those folks gets elected to Congress and sits next to me, I don’t think — you cannot be against the Constitution and also somehow swear to the Constitution that you’re going to protect it. It’s bull crap, and frankly, if we have to have this fence put up every time someone that hates the federal government goes and rallies, it is time for the Republican Party to denounce militia-ism and to just say we are a country that takes our disagreements, and we discuss them in Congress. We don’t do this violently and with all this angst that everybody has nowadays. Let’s do this as grownups and do it in the government we inherited from some people that made some pretty bold moves a few hundred years ago.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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