“The time is now to speak up,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) implored his Republican colleagues in a video message posted Saturday, a day after fellow GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez announced his retirement.
Why it matters: Gonzalez was one of 10 House Republicans, including Kinzinger, who voted for impeachment. He said he had decided not to seek re-election against a Trump-backed primary challenger in 2022.
- “If you think Trump runs our party, you own his comments, or you must denounce them. If you think he doesn’t lead our party, you must publicly say that. The time for hiding is over, the stakes are too high,” Kinzinger said.
Driving the news: Kinzinger, one of Trump’s fiercest Republican critics, was also one of 35 House Republicans to vote in favor of establishing a bipartisan commission into the Jan. 6 insurrection.
What he’s saying: “The future of the Party and politics in this country doesn’t rest on the 10 of us, it rests on the courage of the 180 others who have been silent so far,” Kinzinger said in the video statement, referring to the January impeachment vote.
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- “So many GOP colleagues watched from the sidelines lacking courage to speak out while privately hoping for change,” he said.
- “When we all publicly take sides, then we can answer the question once and for all whose party is this,” he added.
Go deeper: Kinzinger allies launch advocacy group