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  • >> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.

  • MY NEXT GUEST TONIGHT WAS ALSO IN THE CAPITOL WHEN IT WAS

  • OVERRUN BY VIOLENT EXTREMISTS.

  • WE TAPED THIS INTERVIEW RIGHT BEFORE CONGRESS RESUMED THEIR

  • DEBATE THIS EVENING.

  • HERE IS MY CONVERSATION WITH REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN OF

  • ILLINOIS, ADAM KINZINGER.

  • CONGRESSMAN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE ON THIS EXTRAORDINARY AND

  • EXTRAORDINARILY TERRIBLE DAY.

  • I'M SO SORRY FOR WHAT HAPPENED TODAY ON THE CAPITOL FOR OUR

  • COUNTRY, BUT ALSO FOR YOU AND YOUR STAFF.

  • IS EVERYBODY OKAY?

  • >> YEAH, EVERYBODY'S GOOD.

  • I ACTUALLY-- I'VE BEEN ANTICIPATING THIS FOR A WHILE,

  • AND SO I DIDN'T HAVE STAFF COME IN TODAY.

  • I'M THANKFUL FOR THAT.

  • BUT WE'RE KIND OF UNDER SIEGE HERE, IT FEELS LIKE, A LITTLE

  • BIT.

  • >> Stephen: THAT IS INTERESTING THAT YOU PERCEIVED

  • THIS THREAT AHEAD OF TIME BASED UPON KNOWING THAT THERE WAS

  • GOING TO BE THIS RALLY DOWN THE STREET AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

  • IS THAT-- IS THAT WHAT PUT YOU ON GUARD?

  • >> YEAH, IT IS.

  • YOU KNOW, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS HEAR, YOU KNOW, THE WORDS OF THE

  • PRESIDENT TALKING ABOUT BASICALLY STORMING D.C. AND

  • DIFFERENT WORDS PRIOR TO THIS, CONVINCING PEOPLE THAT AN

  • ELECTION WAS STOLEN.

  • IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE THAT AN ELECTION WAS STOLEN AND THE

  • GOVERNMENT'S RUN BY, YOU KNOW, AS QANON BELIEVES SAINT ANIST

  • PED FILES YOU CAN EXPECT SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HAPPEN

  • AND YOU CAN SEE THE CHATTER ON TWITTER WITH PEOPLE TALKING

  • ABOUT 1776 MOMENTS.

  • I KNEW IT WAS COMING.

  • I WASN'T SURPRISED.

  • BUT IT WAS DEFINITELY A SURPRISING DAY.

  • >> Stephen: WELL, TELL US WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN THE CHAMBER.

  • WHEN DID YOU FIND OUT THAT IT WAS HAPPENING?

  • AND HOW WERE YOU INFORMED THAT YOU NEEDED TO LEAVE FOR YOUR

  • SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF THE STAFF?

  • >> YOU KNOW, I WAS LUCKY, BECAUSE I WAS ON THE HOUSE FLOOR

  • AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCEEDINGS.

  • AND AS I STARTED TO LOOK AT TWITTER AND I WAS GETTING REALLY

  • KIND OF THAT FEELING THAT SOMETHING WAS ABOUT TO GO DOWN.

  • AND, YOU KNOW, PLUS THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH EARLIER IN

  • THE DAY PUT ME ON EDGE.

  • AND THEN I STARTED TO SEE THE BARRICADES WERE BEING STORMED.

  • AND I MADE THE DECISION THEN TO GO BACK TO MY OFFICE AND I'M

  • GLAD I DID.

  • I MOO FRIENDS AND STUFF I TALKED TO ON THE FLOOR, IT WAS

  • OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING SURREAL, LIKE "END OF TIMES" KIND OF

  • MOVIE.

  • AND WHEN THEY'RE PULLING THE ESCAPE HOODZ AND PUTTING THEM ON

  • THEIR HEADS, WHICH WE NEVER THOUGHT WE'D HAVE TO USE, THAT'S

  • CRAZY.

  • >> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO BE SAID AND DONE TO

  • CALM THE SITUATION DOWN?

  • BECAUSE YOU WERE NEVER ONE-- YOU HAVE CONSTANTLY BEEN A CRITIC OF

  • THE IDEA OF OPPOSING THE CERTIFICATION OF THE ELECTION.

  • YOU'VE CALLED THE PRESIDENT'S BEHAVIOR IRRESPONSIBLE, EVEN

  • BEFORE THE ELECTION.

  • BUT WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN NOW SO THAT THIS IS NOT PERCEIVED AS

  • NORMAL?

  • WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO THOSE PEOPLE, THE MAJORITY OF THE

  • REPUBLICANS IF YOU COMBINE THE SENATE AND THE MEMBERS OF THE

  • HOUSE, THOUGHT THAT THIS DENIAL OF THE CERTIFICATION ARGUMENT

  • WAS A GOOD IDEA.

  • WHAT-- WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN WITH THOSE PEOPLE?

  • >> WELL, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, THE ONLY THING

  • THAT CAN HAPPEN IS A POLITICAL DECISION.

  • BUT ON LEADERSHIP, YOU KNOW, LEADERS IN THIS PARTY WHO

  • CONVINCED PEOPLE THAT SOMEHOW CONGRESS COULD MAGICALLY PICK

  • THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT IT

  • WAS GOING TO BE EASIER TO JUST AVOID THAT PAIN OF SAYING, "NO,

  • IT'S NOT POSSIBLE," THAN WHAT WE FACE NOW.

  • I MEAN, WE HAVE TO HAVE A REAL AWAKENING MOMENT IN OUR PARTY.

  • THE G.O.P. HAS GOT TO GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS OF CULTURE WARS AND

  • GET BACK INTO THE BUSINESS OF GIVING PEOPLE HOPE AND

  • OPPORTUNITY AND ACTUALLY MAKING THE CASE FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE,

  • INSTEAD OF THINKING WE CAN DO THAT THROUGH POWER AND ALL-CAPS

  • TWEETS.

  • >> Stephen: THERE'S A QUOTE THAT IS SOMETIMES ATTRIBUTED TO

  • HUEY LONG AND SOMETIMES SAINT CLAIRE LEWIS "WHEN FASCISM COMES

  • TO AMERICA IT WILL BE CLOAKED IN AMERICAN FLAGS."

  • WAS THIS AN ATTEMPTED FASCIST COUP?

  • AMERICAN TERRORISM?

  • HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE IT?

  • >> I CHARACTERIZE IT AS A COUP ATTEMPT.

  • THE GOOD THING ABOUT THE UNITED STATES IS THE GUARDRAILS, THE

  • CONSTITUTION WILL HOLD.

  • BUT THE ONE THING IT DOES SHOW US IS THE FRAGILITY OF

  • DEMOCRACY.

  • AND WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE STORMING THE CAPITOL, SAYING

  • THINGS LIKE 1776, A FEW PEOPLE WITH CONFEDERATE FLAGS COME AND

  • OCCUPY THE CAPITOL, YOU SEE GUNS DRAWN IN THE PEOPLE'S CHAMBER,

  • YOU KNOW, WHERE THIS DEBATE IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN AND YOU SEE A

  • PRESIDENT NON-REPENTANT ON TWITTER, IT'S ABSOLUTELY A COUP

  • ATTEMPT.

  • THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'D CALL IT IF IT HAPPENED IN BELARUS OR ANY

  • OTHER COUNTRY.

  • >> Stephen: I'M SURE YOU'VE SEEN THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE

  • SECURITY OFFICERS IN THE CHAMBER OF THE HOUSE WITH THEIR GUNS

  • DRAWN POINTED AT THE BROKEN WINDOW OF THAT FAMOUS DOOR THAT

  • WE ALL SEE THE PRESIDENT WALK THROUGH FOR THE STATE OF THE

  • UNION, THAT YOU WALK THROUGH EVERY DAY AS A PART OF YOUR JOB,

  • WILL YOU EVER LOOK AT THAT DOOR THE SAME WAY AGAIN?

  • >> NO, I NEVER WILL.

  • AND IN FACT, YOU KNOW THERE ARE BULLET SCARS IN THE HOUSE FROM A

  • TERRORIST ATTACK IN THE 50 FRONTAL SYSTEM I THINK PUERTO

  • RICAN SEPARATISTS.

  • AND THAT'S ALWAYS KIND OF SHOWN AS WHAT CAN HAPPEN.

  • THIS IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER THING.

  • IN 50 YEARS WHEN PEOPLE GIVE TOURS, THEY'RE GOING TO TALK

  • ABOUT THOSE BULLET SCARS AND THE SCARS FROM TODAY.

  • BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, THE DEMOCRACY WILL SURVIVE.

  • BUT PEOPLE HAVE GOT TO GET OUT OF THISWITH A DIFFERENT OPINION,

  • PASSIONATELY DEBATE BUT RECOGNIZE THAT POLITICS WAS

  • INVENTED TO PREVENT VIOLENCE AND OUR POLITICS HAS BEEN BROKEN FOR

  • SO LONG.

  • >> Stephen: YOU TWEETED, "LEADERS WHO LED THIS SHOULD ALL

  • RESIGN SO THE ADULTS AND TRUTH TELLERS CAN RESTORE OUR G.O.P."

  • WHO ARE THOSE LEADERS?

  • COULD YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC?

  • DOES IT INCLUDE THE...

  • THE PRESIDENT AND THE VICE PRESIDENT?

  • SHOULD THEY LEAVE NOW?

  • SHOULD THE 25th AMENDMENT BE INVOKED?

  • >> YEAH, SO I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO NAMING NAMES, BUT ON THE

  • PRESIDENT, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO LOOK AT.

  • IF HE'S GOING TO STAY IN OFFICE-- YOU KNOW, IT'S ONLY TWO

  • WEEKS SO HOW YOU CAN QUICKLY DO THIS.

  • IF HE'S GOING TO STAY IN OFFICE AND CONTINUE TO BE NONREPENTANT

  • ON TWITTER AND SAY PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BE VIOLENT BUT THEY

  • WERE JUSTIFIED IN DOING THIS, I THINK THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT

  • WILL HAPPEN TOMORROW MORNING, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE

  • WHERE THAT GOES.

  • BUT THE REALITY IS EVERYBODY THAT LED LED-- YOU KNOW, OUR

  • SUPPORTERS WHO LOOK TO US FOR TRUST, THEY DESERVE TO TELL THE

  • TRUTH TO THEM NOW.

  • >> Stephen: WHILE YOU HAVE BEEN A VOCAL CRITIC OF THE

  • PRESIDENT, DID YOU VOTE FOR IMPEACHMENT LAST YEAR?

  • >> NO, I DIDN'T.

  • >> Stephen: WOULD YOU LIKE ANOTHER BITE AT THAT APPLE?

  • >> I THINK IF IT WAS DIFFERENT NOW, I WOULD CERTAINLY-- IF I

  • KNEW WHAT I KNOW NOW I WOULD CERTAINLY CONSIDER THAT.

  • I WILL SAY, A BIG DIFFERENCE BEFORE THE ELECTION AND AFTER

  • THE ELECTION WHEN YOU TRY TO UNDERMINE THE VERY PINNINGS OF

  • DEMOCRACY, SIGNIFICANTLY DANGEROUS.

  • >> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.

  • WHEN WE COME BACK, I WILL ASK REPRESENTATIVE KINZINGER HOW

  • COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE SEEING WHAT HAPPENED IN AMERICA

  • TODAY.

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