‘Stop Pretending Like You’re Tough’

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who was one of only two Republicans on the Jan. 6 committee that investigated President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election, is daring Trump to criminally charge him — as a recent rant suggested he might.

Kinzinger was among many people former President Joe Biden pardoned before leaving office in January, but following a report earlier this month from a right-wing group alleging the pardons were signed by an autopen, Trump declared Sunday they were “VOID.”

Kinzinger, a frequent critic of Trump’s, dared him Monday on CNN to take the next step.

“First off, I’m trying to figure out what he’s trying to distract from, ’cause that’s what all this is — always a distraction to try to get people’s attention,” he told Jake Tapper. “Or maybe he hasn’t felt like he’s gotten enough attention. But look, Jake. It’s like, bring it on.”

The Oversight Project, a branch of conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, cast doubt on social media earlier this month over the validity of documents it claims Biden had signed electronically. Those documents included preemptive pardons for members of the House committee that investigated the U.S. Capitol riot in 2021.

While many conservatives argue Biden’s pardons are invalid if an autopen was used, former President Barack Obama also employed the method — which isn’t prohibited by the U.S. Constitution, as numerous legal experts have noted since the controversy began.

Furthermore, respective memos from 1929 and 2005 from the Office of the Solicitor General and the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel say a president’s hand signature isn’t required for a pardon. Perhaps most notable, an 1868 ruling declared presidential pardons are final once delivered.

“I’m like, look, we made it very clear what happened on Jan. 6,” Kinzinger said Monday. “America made a decision. And there is one person that’s obsessed about the sixth because he still has been basically deemed guilty in the court of public opinion, and that’s Donald Trump.”

“And he can’t handle it,” Kinzinger argued. “He obsesses about it.”

Fox News recently claimed it examined more than 20 executive orders signed by Biden between 2021 and 2024 and found an identical signature on each — only to add signatures “were also the same” on Trump’s executive orders he signed during both of his terms.

Trump himself admitted Monday to NBC News that he’s used autopen signatures.

“So, my reaction to him is like, you know what? Then bring it!” Kinzinger said Monday about potential charges. “Stop talking about it! Stop being all verbose. Stop pretending like you’re tough. Bring the charges then if you really want to do it, because we will crush you in court.”

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