Don’t mess with Adam Kinzinger, who wasted no time on Wednesday night in responding to news that he and fellow Illinois Republican Rep. Liz Cheney had been censured by the RNC.
In a statement to the Washington Post, Kinzinger lashed out at the RNC after the vote, calling its members “frigging crazy.” “We live in an era where facts don’t matter, truth doesn’t matter,” Kinzinger said. “It’s crazy.”
A little on the GOP as a whole
The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP (abbreviation for Grand Old Party), is one of two major political parties in the United States; its historic rival is its primary rival, the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP or Grand Old Party as a shortened form of Republican Party.
The party’s platform generally reflects American conservatism in that it supports lower taxes and limited government involvement in social issues. Although it only occasionally has controlled Congress or been dominated by conservatives, it has nevertheless exerted a powerful influence on American politics since 1928, particularly when there has been a need for Congressional oversight of presidential actions.
Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney censured by the RNC
The Republican National Committee voted to censure Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney for their participation on the January 6 House committee.
In a statement released RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said that, “The actions of these two members are inexcusable and unacceptable. They had an opportunity to stand with their party leaders,” she continued, “and instead chose to side with Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).”
“As such, we have taken appropriate action by voting to formally censure both members. Members of our party’s leadership have fought hard to build our majority and remain hopeful about competing for real solutions under new leadership next year.”
She concluded, “However, if you willingly cast aside those values then you do not deserve to represent our Party as a Republican. We fully expect every member of our team going forward publicly upholds our shared principles as well as conservative values necessary to elect Republicans across the country.”
Kinzinger fires back
Kinzinger told Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, that he doesn’t have a tribe, but “the good thing is, I don’t really care.”
“The fact that I don’t have a tribe, means that I can be free of these political fiefdoms, and actually speak freely.”
He said he was honored by those who voted for him on Thursday, but lashed out at GOP members who spoke out against him earlier on Wednesday.
The censure is something of a moral rebuke issued by Republicans from his own state as well as others nationwide. “In essence [we] got nailed for being willing to talk about what people think,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper Thursday afternoon after word came down of their censure vote. “It’s ridiculous.”
Kinzinger concluded, “They call me a RINO, but I haven’t changed. The Republican Party has changed into an authoritarian Trump organization. They’re the RINOs. Trump is a RINO.”
It was an incredible show of force from an increasingly extreme Republican Party, which is quick to use its might against conservatives who don’t fall in line with their agenda.
Kinzinger has had enough
Kinzinger has also lamented the “cancer in the Republican Party” only days after announcing his decision not to run for reelection last November.
Kinzinger, who was a target of former President Donald Trump after voting to impeach the president following the January 6 insurgency, said in a video posted to Twitter that he does not plan to run for reelection, citing toxic hyper-partisanship and warning that America is now a “poisoned country.”
“You can…fight to try to tell the truth. You can fight against the cancer in the Republican Party of lies, of conspiracy, of dishonesty,” Kinzinger told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos.
“You ultimately come to the realization that, basically, it’s me, Liz Cheney, and a few others that are telling the truth, and there are about 190 people in the Republican Party that aren’t going to say a word,” Kinzinger continued. “There’s a leader of the Republican caucus that is embracing Donald Trump with all he can.”
