Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, called out Donald Trump's "lies" after the former president released a statement regarding the work of the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot.
Kinzinger, along with Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, is one of two Republicans appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on the January 6 committee. The panel is investigating the insurrection in which hundreds of Trump supporters attacked the legislative branch of government in an apparent effort to prevent the formal certification of President Joe Biden's election win.
In an official Wednesday statement, Trump said that "the Unselect Committee of Radical Left Democrats, and two failed Republicans, has just dropped a large portion of their request for my records and documents." The former president went on to claim that this was due to those documents being politically damaging to President Joe Biden.
However, Kinzinger rejected Trump's claim in a Thursday tweet.
"As expected the lies continue. Not in any way true. The truth however will be vindicated by the findings of the@January6thCmte," the GOP lawmaker wrote.
As expected the lies continue. Not in any way true. The truth however will be vindicated by the findings of the @January6thCmte pic.twitter.com/3Jc1kkRIRf
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) December 30, 2021
Cheney previously called out the former president as well.
"False. The @January6thCmte hasn't dropped requests for any necessary records. In fact, we're actively litigating to obtain White House records Trump is trying to conceal. We will not allow him to hide the truth about January 6th, or his conduct, from the American people," the Wyoming congresswoman tweeted on Wednesday.
In reality, the House select committee did drop its request for some documents it had previously sought as part of its investigation, CNN reported this week. The committee decided to "defer" its request for the records after discussions with the White House. The documents did not reportedly pertain to the investigation but had been requested because they were from the same dates as other required documents.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's press office for further comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Trump's attorneys remain locked in a legal battle in a bid to prevent the release of the former president's records to the House select committee, claiming executive privilege. Thus far, the former president's lawyers' efforts have been unsuccessful.
A three-judge federal appeals panel blocked Trump from invoking executive privilege in a decision earlier this month. The justices ruled that the National Archive should hand over the documents to the January 6 investigators, noting that the current president has chosen not to uphold the former president's claims of executive privilege.
Kinzinger and Cheney have faced substantial backlash from Trump and fellow Republicans due to their involvement with the January 6 committee and their repeated condemnations of the former president. Both GOP lawmakers voted with eight other House Republicans to impeach Trump in the aftermath of the attack against the Capitol. The rioters were largely animated by Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was "stolen" and came directly after he spoke at a nearby rally urging supporters to "fight like hell."
Cheney is facing a Trump-backed primary challenger in her Wyoming reelection bid for 2022. Kinzinger has decided not to seek reelection.
Both Republican lawmakers have also faced calls to be ousted from the House GOP Conference due to their involvement with the January 6 investigation. Pro-Trump Republicans have accused them of being "spies for the Democrats."
