Republican congressman lashes out at Trump, GOP colleagues for challenging Joe Biden's win: 'An utter scam'

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) blasted President Donald Trump on Saturday for continuing to challenge the legitimacy of President-elect Joe Biden's election victory last month.

Kinzinger was specifically responding to remarks that Trump made Saturday morning in which he called out the Justice Department and FBI for having "done nothing about the 2020 Presidential Election Voter Fraud, the biggest SCAM in our nation's history."

What did Kinzinger say?

Kinzinger accused Trump of attempting to dismantle critical American institutions for being unable to "handle losing."

"My God. Trying to burn the place down on the way out because you can't handle losing. No evidence, nothing but your temper tantrum and crazy conspiracies. Embarrassing," Kinzinger said, adding the hashtag "#RestoreOurGOP."

Kinzinger, who has served in Congress for 10 years, also targeted his Republican colleagues who continue to support Trump's election challenge.

"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," Kinzinger said.

What's important about Jan. 6?

Some of Trump's Republican allies in Congress, like Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have pledged to force debate about alleged election fraud on Jan 6., the day Congress meets to certify Biden's win following the Electoral College vote earlier this month.

According to Fox News, "The long-shot effort is designed to force a prolonged debate on election fraud and respond to concerns from the base who believe, without evidence, that the election was stolen."

More from Fox News:

Congressional rules require a House member and senator to simultaneously challenge a state's electoral slate when they jointly convene on Jan. 6. Greene said some senators are on board, though she declined to name them publicly.

The group intends to object to electors of at least six states -- Michigan, Georiga, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nevada -- all states that Biden carried. That could force a two-hour debate on the election results in each of those states and then a vote on accepting that state's slate of electoral votes. Republicans not backing the effort will face consequences at the ballot box, Greene said.

However, contrary to claims from Trump and his supporters, there has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud, despite dozens of legal challenges in state and federal courts.

The Justice Department came to the same conclusion after investigating claims of election fraud.

"To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election," now-former Attorney General William Barr said on Dec. 1.