On ABC's THIS WEEK, Rep. Kinzinger put the blame squarely on Rep. Kevin McCarthy's shoulders for sucking up to and reviving Trump's standing for Republicans a few days after the insurrection on January 6 and helped resurrect him politically.
Days after the attack on the US Capitol by Trump's mob, Kinzinger, who was on the calls from the GOP leadership said many Republicans were furious at Trump and things could have been different if Rep. McCarthy showed some character and integrity.
Well, look, it would be so different right now would he have been pushed aside in the process, maybe. But the question is, what are you going to stand for in your life, you know? Are you going to go out being known as the guy that enabled a failed coup, or are you going to be the guy that goes out standing up, right? Goes out saying, I'm going to do what’s right? He -- and very likely could have survived this.
When he went to Mar-a-Lago, Jonathan, you remember this, like it was a couple week period after January 6th where there was like almost a standoff in -- among Republicans. Like, what do we do? Where do we go from here?
The second Kevin McCarthy showed up at Mar-a-Lago, taking that picture with Donald Trump, he literally resurrected him politically. He was like an ambulance driver that took those paddles and brought Donald Trump back to life. And the fear that went through the Republican ranks of, oh, no, he’s back alive again, was palatable.
You’re -- ladies and gentlemen, and particularly my Republican friends, your leaders by and large have been lying to you. They know stuff that’s very different than what they’re telling you. They know the election wasn’t stolen, but they’re going to send out fundraising requests, they’re going to take your money from you and they’re going to use you to stay in power. You’re being abused.
When it was reported that McCarthy went down to Mar-A-Lago to bend the knee, in essence he aided an abetted a man who tried to overthrow the US government.
