Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois recently apologized to megachurch Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas after accusing Jeffress alongside other conservative leaders of saying that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
According to The Christian Post, Kinzinger, a critic of President Trump, made the claim in a now-deleted tweet on Tuesday where he called out Jeffress, founder of Behold Israel Amir Tsarfati and evangelist Franklin Graham.
"I believe there's a huge burden now on pastors and clergy who openly spread the conspiracies of a stolen election, like @robertjeffress @BeholdIsrael @Franklin_Graham among many others, to admit their mistakes and lead their flocks out of darkness to truth," Kinzinger wrote at the time, Newsweek reports.
In response, Jeffress, who has been an avid supporter of President Trump since the 2016 Republican primary elections, told Kinzinger that he never made such claims and expected an apology.
“Adam, you need to get your facts straight,” Jeffress tweeted in response. “I’ve never once claimed the election was ‘stolen.’ If anyone needs to ‘admit their mistake,’ it’s YOU. Will be awaiting your apology.”
Taking Jeffress’ words into account, the congressman issued an apology and deleted his initial post.
“You know sir? You are absolutely correct,” Kinzinger told the megachurch pastor. “You did act honorably, and while my point remains about the Church and the need for pastors to lead, you did not press those stolen election conspiracies. I am sorry for including you in that.”
You know sir? You are absolutely correct. You did act honorably, and while my point remains about the Church and the need for pastors to lead, you did not press those stolen election conspiracies. I am sorry for including you in that. https://t.co/8mQaBuV1p9
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) January 12, 2021
“Apology accepted and appreciated!” Jeffress wrote back. “We are praying for you and for all our elected officials.”
Apology accepted and appreciated! We are praying for you and for all our elected officials. https://t.co/NOnRuLpJ2u
— Dr. Robert Jeffress (@robertjeffress) January 12, 2021
On Tuesday, Jeffress tweeted that he spoke with President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. When asked if he regretted his support for them, he told a reporter, “Absolutely not! Most pro-life and religious liberty President and VP in history!”
Great talks today with President @realDonaldTrump and @VP @Mike_Pence. When reporter asked if I regretted my support I said “Absolutely not! Most pro-life and religious liberty President and VP in history!”
— Dr. Robert Jeffress (@robertjeffress) January 12, 2021
Meanwhile, Congressman Kinzinger continued to call out conservative pastors who have supported Trump as he urged them to “lead the flock back into truth.”
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Jemal Countess/Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
