‘Go to jail for what?’: Trump wants to lock up the January 6th Committee without reason

Donald Trump just gave his first broadcast interview since Election Day and it went about as miserably as expected. But perhaps none of his talking points were as baffling as his plans for dealing with the January 6 Committee—a.k.a., congress members who are…literally just doing their job?

Nearly four years later, MAGA loyalists are still finding ways to deny and/or underplay the events of January 6, 2021. And somehow, the U.S. congressional committee that held hearings on the fateful events of that day are being dubbed “traitors” by right-wing extremists instead of Trump, who used platforms like Twitter (X) to help incite the riots. And according to the man himself, the House committee that investigated the capitol insurrection should face jail time for their actions.

Trump targets U.S. congress members in desperate attempt to clear his name ahead of Inauguration Day

Although Trump has worked feverishly to deny any wrongdoing in connection to the January 6 riots, a 9-person committee co-chaired by former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney voted to recommend charges to the Justice Department back in 2022 after unanimously finding Trump to be the “central cause” of the attacks (via NBC News). Since then, the MAGA mob has made it their goal to spread as many lies and conspiracy theories about the committee as humanly possible in defense of their No. 1 guy, accusing congress members of withholding evidence.

Because of this, it’s no wonder that Trump took his time in the spotlight to flip the blame on the January 6 Committee, who again, were simply doing their jobs as elected representatives. Speaking with Meet the Press host Kristen Welker on Sunday in his first televised interview since Election Day, Trump said of the investigation, “For what they did, honestly, they should go to jail.”

Specifically, Trump name-dropped Cheney, as well as Bennie Thompson, the Democratic representative of Mississippi’s 2nd congressional district. In typical Trump fashion, he argued that “everyone who voted in favor” of the committee’s findings should be jailed regardless of their political leanings. As former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel put it, “Go to jail for what? For doing their job? For trying to protect the constitution? For defending the rule of law?”

People aren’t buying Trump’s innocence act

Since the interview aired, Cheney has come out in defense of the House committee’s findings, saying in a statement (via ABC News): “Here is the truth: Donald Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election and seize power,” adding that the president-elect “knows his claims about the select committee are ridiculous and false.”

On social media, California senator-elect Adam Schiff, who was also involved with the investigation, responded: “When he tried to overturn the 2020 election, the January 6 Committee stood in defense of our democracy, adding, “Threats to jail us will not deter us.”

Meanwhile, former Illinois representative Adam Kinzinger said that he has “absolutely no worries” about being jailed under the incoming Trump administration during a recent interview with CNN, later writing in a blog post uploaded to Substack: “If Donald wants to pursue this vindictive fantasy, I say bring it on. I’m not intimidated by a man whose actions on January 6th showed a cowardly disregard for democracy and the rule of law.”

For a man who’s made being a convicted criminal a part of his whole tough-guy, “I’m just like you” image, Trump sure seems skittish about the potential consequences of his role in the January 6 riots—and for a good reason. These are serious charges that could haunt him long into his second stint at the White House. But knowing Trump and his influence, he’ll find a way to deliver on his promise of pardoning everyone who was charged with crimes connected to the insurrection. For now, only time will tell if he can pull it off.