Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) was not hesitant to go off on his own party while delivering his final speech on the House floor.
During the speech delivered on Thursday, Kinzinger declared, “We must not abandon our values or our beliefs in the U.S. Constitution.”
He continued, “We all swore an oath in this very chamber to support and defend the Constitution of the United States – not a political party and not a single man.”
Kinzinger called on his party to “renew this belief while casting out those that take the unprecedented call to abolish this sacred document.”
The lawmaker claimed leaders today “belittle and, in some cases, justify attacks on the U.S. Capitol as ‘legitimate political discourse.'”
He explained, “The once great party of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan has turned its back on the ideals of liberty and self-governance. Instead, it has embraced lies and deceit.”
According to Kinzinger, “The Republican Party used to believe in a big tent, which welcomed the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Now we shelter the ignorant, the racist – who only stoke anger and hatred to those who are different than us.”
Watch his speech below:
WATCH: Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the Jan. 6 Cmte., delivers final speech on House floor.
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) December 15, 2022
"We must not abandon our values or our beliefs in the U.S. Constitution." https://t.co/6MdTPwVm2w pic.twitter.com/PmgtZHpwYB
Additionally, Kinzinger took aim at Democratic colleagues for pouring “millions of dollars into the campaigns of MAGA Republicans – the same candidates President Biden called a national security threat.”
Kinzinger said this is “no longer politics as usual. This is not a game. If you keep stoking the fire, you can’t point the fingers when our great experiment goes up in flames. Unfortunately, there are too few Republicans and Democrats that have the spines to stand up and put country over party.”
Concluding his remarks, Kinzinger added, “If Republicans and Democrats don’t urgently course correct, I fear we will hit the iceberg right in front of us.”
In a separate tweet, he wrote, “Had I known that standing up for the truth would cost me my job, friendships, and even my personal security, I would without hesitation, do it all over again.”
Had I known that standing up for the truth would cost me my job, friendships, and even my personal security, I would without hesitation, do it all over again.
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@AdamKinzinger) December 15, 2022
Watch live my last speech as a Congressman on the House floor -> https://t.co/GSFWalGLfy
Still, some Twitter users shared their own criticism of Kinzinger.
One tweet stated, “Except you stood up for lies. The truth is not in you.”
Except you stood up for lies. The truth is not in you. https://t.co/lIE8V5XDLk
— Nick Searcy, INSURRECTIONAL FILM & TELEVISION STAR (@yesnicksearcy) December 16, 2022
Another user wrote, “Wow, so stunning and so brave. You won’t be missed.”
Wow, so stunning and so brave
— The Deplorable Jaw Runner (@DeplorablZoomer) December 15, 2022
You won’t be missed https://t.co/tUMO1OONAr
Kinzinger was one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump. He announced in October of last year that he would not be running for another term.
Still, he said at the time, “I want to make it clear, this isn’t the end of my political future, but the beginning.”
