'Surrounded by cowards': McCarthy and GOP leadership slammed by Kinzinger for 'acquiescing' to violent rhetoric

During an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) took shots at the Republican Party leadership -- including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) -- for doing nothing to shut down the violent rhetoric of the GOP caucus, which he claims had a hand in both the Jan. 6 insurrection and the attack on Paul Pelosi last Friday.

Speaking with hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist, Kinzinger admitted that he and fellow Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) are "surrounded by cowards."

Asked why Republicans are responding so badly to the attempted murder of an 82-year-old man, Kinzinger slammed some of his colleagues.

"I guess you can raise money on the cruelty and it's hilarious now, Trump Jr. tweeting 'underwear and a hammer.'" he stated with disgust. "These conspiracies out there that this was a love tryst gone wrong, this is why we have to call this out. I am glad we're talking about the conspiracy theory, because usually we ignore them and they actually grow online -- it's ludicrous."

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"I'd like to see some semblance of humanity," he continued. "I'd like to see every Republican candidate and elected official say you condemn this attack -- that's really basic -- say you condemn the attack. But secondarily, recognizing the fact when you convince people an election was stolen, convince people that there are lizard people that drink babies' blood -- I'm not even joking -- that's actually what a lot of folks believe, eventually you'll find somebody that acts on that."

"Frankly, we've been raised in a country to believe that if your government is not representing you, if it's truly tyranny, you're going to have a revolution. Some of these people are convinced this is true tyranny and it is incumbent on us as leaders to just stand up and say you can't do this, this is wrong," he elaborated. "If you don't do it, by the way, your silence is acquiescing to it. And I think every member of the media, right or left, needs to press every member of Congress and candidate until they answer this question, including Kevin McCarthy, who I think has yet to make a statement."

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