Rep. Adam Kinzinger Blasts GOP Over ‘Conspiracies And Toxic Tribalism’ After RNC Votes To Advance Censure Against Him

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Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois blasted his fellow Republicans in a statement on Thursday after the Republican National Committee voted to advance a censure of him and Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming for their involvement on the committee investigating the Capitol attack.

The RNC’s resolutions committee voted unanimously to advance a resolution censuring Kinzinger and Cheney, the only two Republicans serving on the January 6 committee, Politico’s David Siders reported. They were also two of the ten Republicans who voted in favor of Trump’s second impeachment.

The draft censure, obtained by The Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey, said the two lawmakers have shown they “support Democrat efforts to destroy President Trump” and have engaged in actions “not befitting Republican members of Congress” in their work on the January 6 committee.

In response to the censure, Kinzinger tweeted a statement that said he has “been a member of the Republican Party long before Donald Trump entered the field,” adding “my values and core beliefs remain the same and have not wavered.”

“Rather than focus their efforts on how to help the American people, my fellow Republicans have chosen to censure two lifelong Members of their party for simply upholding their oaths of office,” he continued, saying they’ve “allowed conspiracies and toxic tribalism” to “hinder their ability to see clear-eyed.”

Kinzinger, who announced in October he would not be seeking reelection in 2022, also said he “will continue to be focused on standing up for truth.”

Cheney also slammed the move, saying on Twitter: “The leaders of the Republican Party have made themselves willing hostages to a man who admits he tried to overturn a presidential election and suggests he would pardon Jan. 6 defendants.”

The resolution to censure Kinzinger and Cheney now heads to a vote before the entire RNC, which is expected to vote on it Friday, CBS News reported.