Kinzinger defends vote to indict Trump, says it might “very effectively be a terminal for my profession”

In an interview with the CNN Podcast “The ax files” Representative Adam Kinzinger defended his vote to indict former President Donald Trump of inciting the Capitol uprising. He said he knew that given the partisan climate, this could likely cost him his seat in the house.

“I knew very well that it could be very important for my career,” he said. “But I also knew I couldn’t live with myself because I was just trying to protect it, and I just felt like I hadn’t done the one time I was called to a really tough job . “

“I will tell anyone who thinks my vote is for politics, they don’t know me. And I would say now that they don’t know politics because you have to go to elementary school, ”he added. “And would it enable me to win a general election? Probably. But that’s not why I did it. “

Kinzinger was one of ten Republicans to vote against Trump after a crowd of his supporters, spurred on by his lies about electoral fraud, attacked Congress in order to scrap the 2020 election results. Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died in the attack.

The impeachment proceedings against the Senate are scheduled for the second week of February. The date has been postponed to give Trump time to defend. Republicans are unlikely to vote to convict the former president of inciting insurrection against Congress.

Kinzinger’s comments come a day after a widespread Washington Post interview in which he said he knew the vote against Trump had hurt his career opportunities.

“The only hope you have is to accept that you are already dead,” he told the Washington Post, quoting a scene from the HBO World War II series Band of Brothers.

“I’m ready to get this whole thing out of the water at any time,” he said of his career in politics, noting that he has “felt very isolated in my party since he expressed his support for the former Hold President accountable. ” Very isolated and very lonely. “

Alan is a New York based writer, editor, and news junkie.