Adam Kinzinger accepts place on Jan. 6 committee: 'When duty calls, I will always answer'

Not long after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) indicated she wanted Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) to serve on the Jan. 6 select committee, Kinzinger confirmed on Sunday that he spoke with Pelosi and would accept her offer.

"For months, I have said that the American people deserve transparency and truth on how and why thousands showed up to attack our democracy, and ultimately, what led to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021," he said in a statement.

Echoing others who argued Kinzinger shouldn't be described simply as an anti-Trump Republican, the congressman said he wanted to make it clear he is a "Republican dedicated to conservative values." But, he continued, "I swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution — and while this is not the position I expected to be in or sought out, when duty calls, I will answer."

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Pelosi later addressed Kinzinger's addition to the panel, highlighting his military experience. "He brings great patriotism to the committee," she said, per Fox News.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.