Illinois county GOP censures Kinzinger over impeachment vote

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Kinzinger: I am not the only Republican backing use of 25th Amendment

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., sounds off on president's behavior on 'Your World'

The La Salle County GOP voted Tuesday to formally reprimand Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., over his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump.

The La Salle County Republican Central Committee passed the measure with 88% of committee members voting to censure. 

County GOP Chair Larry Smith said in a statement the congressman’s actions were "contrary to the values" of the party. He also said committee members had echoed complaints that Kinzinger had not met with the GOP group in more than six years. 

Smith said that Kinzinger’s vote had opened a "Pandora’s Box of criticism" for the committee. 

"The La Salle County Republicans have received hundreds upon hundreds of emails, text messages and phone calls from our county and beyond expressing their frustration and a lot more with Congressman Kinzinger’s actions and statements the past few months," Smith said.

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Kinzinger's office could not immediately be reached for comment. 

Smith added that many had threatened to leave the Republican Party if Kinzinger’s behavior wasn’t addressed. 

The 42-year-old Kinzinger, who was easily reelected last November, is also facing a primary challenge from a Republican who named his campaign committee "Impeach Adam Kinzinger 2022."

Meanwhile, Kinzinger and Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., have doubled down on their vote to impeach the former president for his unproven election fraud claims in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Eight other Republicans joined them in voting to impeach Trump for inciting an insurrection, but even with no GOP votes, the Democrat majority in the House would have voted to impeach Trump.

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Kinzinger had even called for former Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office in his final days. He recently said he wished he had voted to impeach Trump the first time, too. 

Kinzinger launched a new PAC days ago to "take back" the Republican Party from Trump. Pointing to the Jan. 6 riot that led to five deaths, Kinzinger said in a video announcing the "Country First" PAC: "This is no time for silence. Not after the last month. Not after the last few years. Someone needs to tell the truth."

Kinzinger added: "The Republican Party has lost its way. If we are to lead again, we need to muster the courage to remember who we are. We need to remember what we believe and why we believe it. Looking in the mirror can be hard, but the time has come to choose what kind of party we will be and what kind of future we'll fight to bring about."

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The congressman, who was first elected to Congress as part of the conservative Tea Party wave of 2010, lamented that "today's Republican Party is not the one I joined."