Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) recognizes voting to impeach President Donald Trump could put an end to his career, but it is a risk he is willing to take.
During an episode of CNN’s “The Axe Files” podcast on Thursday, Kinzinger revealed the reason behind his decision to vote to impeach Trump.
“I’ll say to anybody that thinks my vote was for politics, they don’t know me. And I would say now they don’t know politics because, you know, you have to get through a primary, and would it make me more able to win a general election? Probably. But that’s not why I did it,” Kinzinger said.
He added, “I did it knowing full well it could very well be terminal to my career, but I also knew that I couldn’t live with myself having, you know, try to just protect it and just felt like the one time I was called to do a really tough duty, I didn’t do it.”
Kinzinger, a sixth-term Congressmember, noted he was considering a “statewide path” in November and December of 2020.
“But everything changed on Jan. 6 and I know that my passion… in fact I’m more passionate about this country than I think I was Jan. 5 even,” he said.
Kinzinger continued, “I know my passion is the restoration of the Republican Party. I know I may go down fighting like that.”
Kinzinger released a statement on Jan. 12 to announce his intention to vote to impeach Trump, as IJR previously reported.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the President of the United States broke his oath of office and incited this insurrection. He used his position in the Executive to attack the Legislative,” Kinzinger said.
He went on, “So in assessing the articles of impeachment brought before the House, I must consider: if these actions — the Article II branch inciting a deadly insurrection against the Article I branch — are not worthy of impeachment, then what is an impeachable offense?”
Kinzinger concluded, “I will vote in favor of impeachment.”
Trump’s Senate impeachment trial is expected to begin on Feb. 9.