In 2016, Kinzinger, an Air Force pilot who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, refused to support Trump, saying “I'm an American before I'm a Republican." He opposed the first impeachment of Trump, but now says he regrets that vote. But since the November election, Kinzinger has remained steadfast in denouncing the “dangerous lie” that the election was stolen from Trump.
He was among 10 Republican House members to vote in favor of impeaching Trump last month, and he also voted to remove QAnon Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from two House committees.
In his op-ed, Kinzinger wrote that the huge number of Republican leaders who repeatedly encouraged the belief that the election was stolen made the Jan. 6 riots “more likely.”
Kinzinger was first elected to Congress in 2010 in the Tea Party wave and is a staunch conservative. But last month, he released a video to launch a new political action committee, Country 1st PAC, designed to challenge the Trump wing of the GOP and its leadership.
In the op-ed, he wrote:
“Since my vote to impeach Trump, I’ve heard from tens of thousands of my constituents. Their reaction has been overwhelmingly supportive. Republicans of all backgrounds and outlooks have told me they appreciate my efforts to return the GOP to a foundation of principle, not personality. I’ve even heard from many Democrats. They don’t agree with me on a lot of issues, but they want the Republican Party to be healthy and competitive. ‘
He added that ”refusing to hold accountable those responsible” for “the madness of the past four years” will only “embolden the few who led us here and dishearten the many who know America is better than this.”
“Convicting Donald Trump is necessary to save America from going further down a sad, dangerous road,” he concluded.