Kinzinger votes to form committee to investigate Jan. 6 insurrection

‘We need a full accounting of what happened on Jan. 6, 2021′

Adam Kinzinger, congress

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon, said he supported the formation of a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol to get “a full accounting of what happened.”

The vote Wednesday to establish the committee came after Republicans in the Senate blocked the creation of an independent commission that would have been composed of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats.

Although many of his fellow Republicans have questioned the need for such a probe, Kinzinger has pushed for an investigation into the attack. He’s also been forcefully critical of former President Donald Trump’s baseless accusations of voter fraud, which inspired many to descend on the Capitol that day.

“We need answers on who was involved in the insurrection and who played a role in orchestrating it,” Kinzinger said in a statement. “We need transparency and truth.”

The congressman said he felt an independent commission was the best approach, much like the one created to investigate the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. He said he voted for the select committee because “the truth matters.”

Other Republicans criticized the formation of this committee, arguing that Democrats would be in charge.

Kinzinger said he cast his vote in favor of forming a committee “because it is our duty to conduct a thorough investigation of this most egregious attack on the Capitol. Because the American people – and especially the families of our brave law enforcement on the front lines that day – deserve answers.”

More than 140 members of law enforcement were injured during the insurrection, and five people died.

The congressman also called out the “conspiracy theories being perpetuated by media outlets and spreading wildly online” regarding cause and those who were involved in planning the attack on the Capitol.

“We have to put the partisan political divisions aside and put the interests of our country and our democracy at the forefront,” he said. “And as I said before, we cannot let fear stop us from doing what is right.”