Rep. Kinzinger first Republican to call on Trump to be removed from office

Posted on January 7, 2021
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) (Photo courtesy: Adam Kinzinger/Twitter)

By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – Just a day after violence erupted in the nation’s capital, a Republican Congressman from Illinois is the first Republican to call for invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office.

Representative Adam Kinzinger, who represents 14 districts in Northern Illinois, said the events that unfolded in Washington, D.C. was a “wake up call to many.”

“Thankfully, the strength of our constitution and democracy held. We emerged today a little battered but resolved. What happened yesterday is a wake-up call to many, but it’s a call to accountability for others…Sadly, yesterday became evident that not only has the President advocated his duty to protect the American people and the people’s house, he invoked and inflamed passions that only gave fuel to the insurrection that we saw here.”

The Congressman, who has deep roots all across the state, including McLean County, said it’s time to “end this nightmare” and remove the commander-in-chief.

‘While of course victimizing himself, and seeming to give a wink and a nod to those doing it, all indications are that the President has become unmoored, not just from his duty, but from reality itself. It is for this reason that I call for the Vice President and members of the cabinet to ensure the next few weeks are safe for the American people and that we have a sane captain of the ship…It’s time to invoke the 25th Amendment and end this nightmare.”

“We will rise from this, but we cannot forget what lead us here. The liars and conspiracy authors are already at it again this morning with false narratives about yesterday’s disaster. Here’s the truth, the President caused this. The President is unfit, and the President is unwell. And the President must now relinquish control of the executive branch voluntarily or involuntarily.”

WATCH: Rep. Adam Kinzinger calls for enactment of the 25th Amendment: 

In a social media post, Gov. Pritzker also called on Congress to invoke the 25th Amendment.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected]

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