Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the only Republican besides Rep. Liz Cheney to sit on the January 6 commission, acknowledged that he was unsuccessful in trying to save the Republican Party from former President Donald Trump.
“Yeah, he won in the short term at least,” the outgoing lawmaker who voted to impeach Trump told WGN. “There’s no use in pretending somehow I scored some major victory and saved the party.”
Kinzinger announced last year he will not seek reelection. Other Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach the former president are also retiring or have been voted out of office. Rep. Liz Cheney's political career is all but certain to end soon, too, after Wyoming's GOP primary on Aug. 16.
But according to the interview, Kinzinger may still hold political aspirations that could include the presidency.
Kinzinger met with WGN News’ Ben Bradley in a hanger at the Morris, Illinois airport where he keeps the small plane he still uses to fly himself around his largely rural congressional district. Kinzinger’s plane, like his political career, has been temporarily grounded (supply chain issues have led to a long wait for a replacement part). But to carry the analogy forward, his political wings are by no means permanently clipped. And that could mean a run for President of the United States one day.
“If people wake-up there may be an opportunity to come back. If they don’t I know I’ve done what I can do,” Kinzinger said. (WGN)
It's highly unlikely the party would welcome the lawmaker back and based on his comments in the interview, it's just as hard to believe he'd want to be in the GOP anymore either.
“The party is like ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers,’” Kinzinger said. “It’s not the party I ever joined. It’s around a person and it’s kind of creepy to be honest with you.”