Illinois Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger expressed his concerns for the Republican party on Sunday, claiming President Donald Trump and his allies are fueling conspiracy theories and potential violence.
"I grew up as a Republican because I believe in smaller government and strong national defense and that's being destroyed by conspiracies right now and anger," said Kinzinger on CNN's State of the Union.
"I really do worry about the future of my party," the congressman added.
When asked if he was worried about what the president may do during his remaining weeks in office, Kinzinger said: "If you convince people that, you know, Congress can change a legitimate election and everything was stolen, there's a deep state slash QAnon theory driving this which is that it's Satanists pedophiles that run the government."
"You could see people being driven to violence, so I'm concerned about that," the congressman added.
Regardless of his worry, Kinzinger assured the American people that the "guardrails of the Constitution are there," noting lawmakers "can't follow through on an illegal order, even if it comes from the president."
Rep. Kinzinger (R): "If you convince people that Congress can change a legitimate election & everything was stolen ... you could see people being driven to violence. So I'm concerned about that ... I really do worry about the future of my party." pic.twitter.com/cctheQJ37p
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 27, 2020
Kinzinger previously claimed President Donald Trump and fellow GOP representatives who plan to challenge the Electoral College vote on January 6 were participating in a sham to build up their own following.
"All this talk about January 6th from President Donald Trump and other congressional grifters is simply explained: they will raise money and gain followers by blaming everyone else knowing full well they can't do anything. It's sad, and an utter scam," Kinzinger tweeted on Saturday.
All this talk about Jan 6th from @realDonaldTrump and other congressional grifters is simply explained: they will raise money and gain followers by blaming everyone else knowing full well they can’t do anything. It’s sad, and an utter scam. #restoreourgop
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) December 26, 2020
The congressman's statement came amid reports of Representative Mo Brooks and Senator Tommy Tuberville's plan to challenge the Electoral College vote when Congress convenes next month.
Brooks and Tuberville, both Republicans, suggested they would use the Electoral Count Act of 1877 in a last attempt to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Under the act, the Senate and House of Representatives would be required to hold a two-hour debate and then vote on whether to approve or deny the objection. For the process to move forward, both chambers would have to agree on the objection in order to throw out contested electoral votes.
The Electoral College voted to officially confirm Joe Biden as the next president of the United States on December 14.
Challenging that vote in next month's congressional meeting would be the final attempt for Trump and his allies to overturn the election results, after months of failed lawsuits claiming Biden's victory was a result of widespread voter fraud.
Newsweek reached out to Kinzinger, but didn't hear back in time for publication.
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