>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.

MY NEXT GUEST TONIGHT WAS ALSO IN THE CAPITOL WHEN IT WAS

OVERRUN BY VIOLENT EXTREMISTS.

WE TAPED THIS INTERVIEW RIGHT BEFORE CONGRESS RESUMED THEIR

DEBATE THIS EVENING.

HERE IS MY CONVERSATION WITH REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN OF

ILLINOIS, ADAM KINZINGER.

CONGRESSMAN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE ON THIS EXTRAORDINARY AND

EXTRAORDINARILY TERRIBLE DAY.

I'M SO SORRY FOR WHAT HAPPENED TODAY ON THE CAPITOL FOR OUR

COUNTRY, BUT ALSO FOR YOU AND YOUR STAFF.

IS EVERYBODY OKAY?

>> YEAH, EVERYBODY'S GOOD.

I ACTUALLY-- I'VE BEEN ANTICIPATING THIS FOR A WHILE,

AND SO I DIDN'T HAVE STAFF COME IN TODAY.

I'M THANKFUL FOR THAT.

BUT WE'RE KIND OF UNDER SIEGE HERE, IT FEELS LIKE, A LITTLE

BIT.

>> Stephen: THAT IS INTERESTING THAT YOU PERCEIVED

THIS THREAT AHEAD OF TIME BASED UPON KNOWING THAT THERE WAS

GOING TO BE THIS RALLY DOWN THE STREET AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

IS THAT-- IS THAT WHAT PUT YOU ON GUARD?

>> YEAH, IT IS.

YOU KNOW, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS HEAR, YOU KNOW, THE WORDS OF THE

PRESIDENT TALKING ABOUT BASICALLY STORMING D.C. AND

DIFFERENT WORDS PRIOR TO THIS, CONVINCING PEOPLE THAT AN

ELECTION WAS STOLEN.

IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE THAT AN ELECTION WAS STOLEN AND THE

GOVERNMENT'S RUN BY, YOU KNOW, AS QANON BELIEVES SAINT ANIST

PED FILES YOU CAN EXPECT SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HAPPEN

AND YOU CAN SEE THE CHATTER ON TWITTER WITH PEOPLE TALKING

ABOUT 1776 MOMENTS.

I KNEW IT WAS COMING.

I WASN'T SURPRISED.

BUT IT WAS DEFINITELY A SURPRISING DAY.

>> Stephen: WELL, TELL US WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN THE CHAMBER.

WHEN DID YOU FIND OUT THAT IT WAS HAPPENING?

AND HOW WERE YOU INFORMED THAT YOU NEEDED TO LEAVE FOR YOUR

SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF THE STAFF?

>> YOU KNOW, I WAS LUCKY, BECAUSE I WAS ON THE HOUSE FLOOR

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCEEDINGS.

AND AS I STARTED TO LOOK AT TWITTER AND I WAS GETTING REALLY

KIND OF THAT FEELING THAT SOMETHING WAS ABOUT TO GO DOWN.

AND, YOU KNOW, PLUS THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH EARLIER IN

THE DAY PUT ME ON EDGE.

AND THEN I STARTED TO SEE THE BARRICADES WERE BEING STORMED.

AND I MADE THE DECISION THEN TO GO BACK TO MY OFFICE AND I'M

GLAD I DID.

I MOO FRIENDS AND STUFF I TALKED TO ON THE FLOOR, IT WAS

OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING SURREAL, LIKE "END OF TIMES" KIND OF

MOVIE.

AND WHEN THEY'RE PULLING THE ESCAPE HOODZ AND PUTTING THEM ON

THEIR HEADS, WHICH WE NEVER THOUGHT WE'D HAVE TO USE, THAT'S

CRAZY.

>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO BE SAID AND DONE TO

CALM THE SITUATION DOWN?

BECAUSE YOU WERE NEVER ONE-- YOU HAVE CONSTANTLY BEEN A CRITIC OF

THE IDEA OF OPPOSING THE CERTIFICATION OF THE ELECTION.

YOU'VE CALLED THE PRESIDENT'S BEHAVIOR IRRESPONSIBLE, EVEN

BEFORE THE ELECTION.

BUT WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN NOW SO THAT THIS IS NOT PERCEIVED AS

NORMAL?

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO THOSE PEOPLE, THE MAJORITY OF THE

REPUBLICANS IF YOU COMBINE THE SENATE AND THE MEMBERS OF THE

HOUSE, THOUGHT THAT THIS DENIAL OF THE CERTIFICATION ARGUMENT

WAS A GOOD IDEA.

WHAT-- WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN WITH THOSE PEOPLE?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, THE ONLY THING

THAT CAN HAPPEN IS A POLITICAL DECISION.

BUT ON LEADERSHIP, YOU KNOW, LEADERS IN THIS PARTY WHO

CONVINCED PEOPLE THAT SOMEHOW CONGRESS COULD MAGICALLY PICK

THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT IT

WAS GOING TO BE EASIER TO JUST AVOID THAT PAIN OF SAYING, "NO,

IT'S NOT POSSIBLE," THAN WHAT WE FACE NOW.

I MEAN, WE HAVE TO HAVE A REAL AWAKENING MOMENT IN OUR PARTY.

THE G.O.P. HAS GOT TO GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS OF CULTURE WARS AND

GET BACK INTO THE BUSINESS OF GIVING PEOPLE HOPE AND

OPPORTUNITY AND ACTUALLY MAKING THE CASE FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE,

INSTEAD OF THINKING WE CAN DO THAT THROUGH POWER AND ALL-CAPS

TWEETS.

>> Stephen: THERE'S A QUOTE THAT IS SOMETIMES ATTRIBUTED TO

HUEY LONG AND SOMETIMES SAINT CLAIRE LEWIS "WHEN FASCISM COMES

TO AMERICA IT WILL BE CLOAKED IN AMERICAN FLAGS."

WAS THIS AN ATTEMPTED FASCIST COUP?

AMERICAN TERRORISM?

HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE IT?

>> I CHARACTERIZE IT AS A COUP ATTEMPT.

THE GOOD THING ABOUT THE UNITED STATES IS THE GUARDRAILS, THE

CONSTITUTION WILL HOLD.

BUT THE ONE THING IT DOES SHOW US IS THE FRAGILITY OF

DEMOCRACY.

AND WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE STORMING THE CAPITOL, SAYING

THINGS LIKE 1776, A FEW PEOPLE WITH CONFEDERATE FLAGS COME AND

OCCUPY THE CAPITOL, YOU SEE GUNS DRAWN IN THE PEOPLE'S CHAMBER,

YOU KNOW, WHERE THIS DEBATE IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN AND YOU SEE A

PRESIDENT NON-REPENTANT ON TWITTER, IT'S ABSOLUTELY A COUP

ATTEMPT.

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'D CALL IT IF IT HAPPENED IN BELARUS OR ANY

OTHER COUNTRY.

>> Stephen: I'M SURE YOU'VE SEEN THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE

SECURITY OFFICERS IN THE CHAMBER OF THE HOUSE WITH THEIR GUNS

DRAWN POINTED AT THE BROKEN WINDOW OF THAT FAMOUS DOOR THAT

WE ALL SEE THE PRESIDENT WALK THROUGH FOR THE STATE OF THE

UNION, THAT YOU WALK THROUGH EVERY DAY AS A PART OF YOUR JOB,

WILL YOU EVER LOOK AT THAT DOOR THE SAME WAY AGAIN?

>> NO, I NEVER WILL.

AND IN FACT, YOU KNOW THERE ARE BULLET SCARS IN THE HOUSE FROM A

TERRORIST ATTACK IN THE 50 FRONTAL SYSTEM I THINK PUERTO

RICAN SEPARATISTS.

AND THAT'S ALWAYS KIND OF SHOWN AS WHAT CAN HAPPEN.

THIS IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER THING.

IN 50 YEARS WHEN PEOPLE GIVE TOURS, THEY'RE GOING TO TALK

ABOUT THOSE BULLET SCARS AND THE SCARS FROM TODAY.

BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, THE DEMOCRACY WILL SURVIVE.

BUT PEOPLE HAVE GOT TO GET OUT OF THISWITH A DIFFERENT OPINION,

PASSIONATELY DEBATE BUT RECOGNIZE THAT POLITICS WAS

INVENTED TO PREVENT VIOLENCE AND OUR POLITICS HAS BEEN BROKEN FOR

SO LONG.

>> Stephen: YOU TWEETED, "LEADERS WHO LED THIS SHOULD ALL

RESIGN SO THE ADULTS AND TRUTH TELLERS CAN RESTORE OUR G.O.P."

WHO ARE THOSE LEADERS?

COULD YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC?

DOES IT INCLUDE THE...

THE PRESIDENT AND THE VICE PRESIDENT?

SHOULD THEY LEAVE NOW?

SHOULD THE 25th AMENDMENT BE INVOKED?

>> YEAH, SO I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO NAMING NAMES, BUT ON THE

PRESIDENT, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO LOOK AT.

IF HE'S GOING TO STAY IN OFFICE-- YOU KNOW, IT'S ONLY TWO

WEEKS SO HOW YOU CAN QUICKLY DO THIS.

IF HE'S GOING TO STAY IN OFFICE AND CONTINUE TO BE NONREPENTANT

ON TWITTER AND SAY PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BE VIOLENT BUT THEY

WERE JUSTIFIED IN DOING THIS, I THINK THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT

WILL HAPPEN TOMORROW MORNING, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE

WHERE THAT GOES.

BUT THE REALITY IS EVERYBODY THAT LED LED-- YOU KNOW, OUR

SUPPORTERS WHO LOOK TO US FOR TRUST, THEY DESERVE TO TELL THE

TRUTH TO THEM NOW.

>> Stephen: WHILE YOU HAVE BEEN A VOCAL CRITIC OF THE

PRESIDENT, DID YOU VOTE FOR IMPEACHMENT LAST YEAR?

>> NO, I DIDN'T.

>> Stephen: WOULD YOU LIKE ANOTHER BITE AT THAT APPLE?

>> I THINK IF IT WAS DIFFERENT NOW, I WOULD CERTAINLY-- IF I

KNEW WHAT I KNOW NOW I WOULD CERTAINLY CONSIDER THAT.

I WILL SAY, A BIG DIFFERENCE BEFORE THE ELECTION AND AFTER

THE ELECTION WHEN YOU TRY TO UNDERMINE THE VERY PINNINGS OF

DEMOCRACY, SIGNIFICANTLY DANGEROUS.

>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.

WHEN WE COME BACK, I WILL ASK REPRESENTATIVE KINZINGER HOW

COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE SEEING WHAT HAPPENED IN AMERICA

TODAY.

♪ ♪ ♪