'We were briefed': Ex-GOP lawmaker blows up popular right-wing conspiracy theory
Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-Ret.) on Saturday blew up a popular right-wing conspiracy theory, saying some who spread the misinformation were briefed alongside him on the facts.
Kinzinger, who has recently been in the news for jumpstarting a meme about how bad "Trump smells," took to social media to destroy the "Seth Rich" theory. The conspiracy theory, which some say helped propel Donald Trump to the White House, alleges that the slain Democratic National Committee staffer was killed because he was somehow involved in leaking stolen emails to WikiLeaks during the 2016 election campaign.
But as Kinzinger tells it, some who spread that theory are "knowingly lying" about it.
"Any Republican politician that lends credence to [Seth Rich] conspiracies is knowingly lying," Kinzinger wrote. "We were briefed as to how Russia got DNC emails. If they bother to care."
The former lawmaker then added that there is "always a victim narrative to profit from," calling them "[w]eaklings."
In a follow-up post on Substack, Kinzinger went even further regarding the "victim narrative."
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"The whining, weak, brittle, fragile, delicate, feeble, puny, victim mentality of the MAGA movement is one of the most transparently sad, snowflakey, and pitiful movements really in American history," he wrote. "The incessant whining followed by the usual deflection of some harsh attack that reasonable adults would eschew has really reached a boiling point in my tolerance of typical and normal political dialogue."
He added that he was initially attracted to Republicanism because of his "belief that a man could set his own destiny, defend his own family, live his own life, and leave others alone to live theirs."
"The MAGA movement has become an infectious disease of helplessness and victimhood unlike any I can remember. Donald Trump himself is a master victim, suing everyone, everything, yelling loudly about how he is a poor victim of the 'deep state,' Rinos, DOJ, FBI, China, Germany, Mars, the sun, and any other possible force of nature," he then added. "But his victim mentality has spread to the GOP at large, and its the most annoying and destructive force in the nation. Seriously. This infection has destroyed the GOP."