Kinzinger says Republicans thanking him in private for Capitol riot stance as he blasts ‘cold’ Fox News for mocking his tears

Adam Kinzinger, a member of the US House of Representatives who belongs to the Republican party, has revealed that several of his party colleagues have privately shown him their support for his stance on the 6 January Capitol riots.

Mr Kinzinger is one of the only two Republicans on a select committee formed by the House of Representatives to investigate the insurrection.

“There’s a lot of people, you know. They come up and say it,” Mr Kinzinger told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an interview. “It’s not any of the ones that go on TV and spout the ‘Big Lie’ and then say it. It’s the ones that are staying more quiet that I think appreciate the stand. But it’s a lot,” he added.

He also pointed out that “nobody actually believes” former president Donald Trump’s claims of the 2020 election being stolen from him.

Mr Kinzinger also discussed how Fox News allegedly mocked him for breaking down during the select committee’s first meeting, where he addressed four police officers who witnessed the insurrection and defended the Capitol building from the rioters.

Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham had reportedly mocked Mr Kinzinger hours after the hearing. Mr Kinzinger pushed back on their remarks during the interview, dubbing them to be “a very cold-hearted thing”.

“That personality on that television show, I don’t think has ever served in uniform a day in his life,” Mr Kinzinger told CNN, in an apparent reference to Tucker Carlson. “I would argue that is a very cold-hearted thing. Or it’s just simply driven on expanding your cold-hearted personality for ratings.”

During the hearing on Tuesday, Mr Kinzinger stated the committee’s mission was “to find the truth and it is to ensure accountability.” He also commented on how the Republicans’ perception of the committee was an unhealthy way to deal with the issue.

“Many in my party have treated this as just another partisan fight. It’s toxic and it’s a disservice,” he said.

“I think they will be judged by the country. I mean, because ultimately the truth is going to be known,” Mr Kinzinger told reporters on Wednesday, when they asked him about his colleagues, who have been accused of spreading fake allegations at the behest of Mr Trump and defending his actions until the lead up to the insurrection.

He added: “If somebody really thinks that this narrative of 6 January that some are trying to push is actually going to be the one written in the history books, it’s not.”

Meanwhile, several Republican leaders have called for Mr Kinzinger and Liz Cheney, the two Republicans on the committee, to be removed from other committee slots. The two, however, have said such criticism will not deter them.