Rep. Kinzinger allegedly brought a gun to the Capitol on Jan. 6, new book claims

A new book claims that Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, was so worried about possible violence on January 6, that he carried a gun to the Capitol that day.

The book was written about the Republican Party by reporter for the New York Times Jeremy Peters.

According to claims in the book, “Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted,” which was just published on Tuesday, Kinzinger’s wife requested that she be able to join him at the Capitol to see the certification of Joe Biden’s victory over former President Donald Trump.

But Kinzinger told her, as well as members of his staff, to stay home. He packed his .38 caliber Ruger LCP pistol before making his way to the Capitol.  “I felt a real darkness over the place that I’ve never felt before,” said Kinzinger, who is an Air Force veteran.

He apparently felt so uneasy about being inside the Capitol building that he returned to his office, using Capitol Hill’s underground tunnels, across the street in the Rayburn House Office Building.

He remained in his office when the rioters took to the Capitol. Kinzinger, along with all 541 members of Congress and their staffs, received an email from the Capitol Police telling them to lock, close, and keep away from external doors and windows, as well as to “remain quiet.” Peters writes, “Kinzinger barricaded himself inside his office and took out his gun.” 

Kinzinger, who is not planning to seek reelection in November, is one of just two Republicans serving on the House select committee that is investigating the riot. Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney is its vice chair.

The Republican National Committee voted on Friday to censure Cheney and Kinzinger over their work on the bipartisan panel. Both representatives criticized the move.

“I’ve been a member of the Republican Party long before Donald Trump entered the field,” said Kinzinger in a statement. “My values and core beliefs remain the same and have not wavered. I’m a conservative who believes in truth, freedom, and upholding the Constitution of the United States.”