Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger called Tucker Carlson a 'manipulative son of a b***h' and talked about how he hunkered down in his office with his gun during the January 6 Capitol attack, in a new interview with Rolling Stone.
Kinzinger, who will retire from the House at the end of his term, went after Carlson over the Fox News Channel host's rant about Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg taking parental leave, during a supply chain crisis, after he and his husband Chasten adopted newborn premature twins.
'And Tucker Carlson took nothing but a cheap shot at him because it was a temporary hit of Pixy Stix or a shot of heroin, it makes people feel great, they stay on. The rage works. And he created rage,' the Illinois Republican observed. 'Talking about Pete Buttigieg learning how to breastfeed - like, c'mon man.'
Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger sat down for an interview with S.E. Cupp for Rolling Stone, telling her he thought Tucker Carlson was a 'manipulative son of a b***h' for his attack on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
Carlson mocked Buttigieg, who is gay, for taking paternity leave to be at home with his husband Chasten and adopted newborn premature twins Penelope and Joseph
Kinzinger suggested Carlson knew better.
'I think Tucker's really smart,' the Illinois Republican said.
'You're a manipulative son of a b***h who abuses your viewers for your own personal profit,' he then added.
Kinzinger got onto Carlson because Rolling Stone interviewer, pundit S.E. Cupp, asked him if he supported paid family leave - which progressive House Democrats are trying to include in President Joe Biden's Build Back Better bill, after the White House chopped it out when the president debuted a framework for the package late last month.
Kinzinger, who recently voted for Biden's $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan, said he supported it.
'I'm supportive of it. I never understood the importance of paternity leave until I saw a lot of my friends start having kids. The devil's in the details. How do we get to an actual agreement?' he said. 'Or is this just going to be a political weapon?'
'We need to rethink how we do things in this country, in terms of encouraging families, encouraging togetherness. People feel so disconnected,' he noted.
He also vouched for Buttigieg saying, 'I highly doubt that the secretary was totally disconnected from work.'
Chasten Buttigieg and Pete Buttigieg hold their newborn twins Penelope Rose and Joseph August
'Although he probably could have been and should have been,' Kinzinger added. 'But he has deputies, I'm sure he was in touch.'
Kinzinger has also stood out on Capitol Hill as only one of two Republicans to serve on the January 6th select committee, which is probing the insurrection.
Talking about his experience with Cupp, the congressman said he 'knew' there was going to be violence that day.
'I didn't necessarily know they were going to sack the Capitol, but I knew there was going to be violence,' Kinzinger said.
He recalled that he even told that to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on January 4.
'And he was very dismissive of it, of course,' Kinzinger said.
The congressman had his staff stay home and he watched former President Donald Trump's speech.
'And it was crazy, like usual,' said Kinzinger, a prominent Trump critic. 'I remember seeing [Donald Trump] Jr. say, "This is now Trump's arty." and I'm like, well that's creepy. And then Trump says, "I'm going to go with
