By 25 News
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) bid farewell to the U.S. Congress on Thursday by criticizing Republicans and Democrats for not putting the country ahead of politics.
Kinzinger, raised in Bloomington and elected to the McLean County Board when he was a sophomore at Illinois State University, was one of only two Republicans to serve on the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Kinzinger, now living in Channahon and representing Illinois’ 16th District, did not run for reelection while the other GOP committee member Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) was defeated for re-election in the Republican primary.
In his farewell address on the House floor, Kinzinger said the party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan now embraces “lies and deceit.”
“Had I known that standing up for truth would cost me my job, friendships, and even my personal security, I would, without hesitation, do it all over again. I can rest easy at night knowing that I fulfilled my oath to the office. I know many in this institution cannot do the same,” said Kinzinger.
He accused Democrats of playing political games this election year by pumping millions of dollars into the primary campaigns of MAGA candidates supporting former President Donald Trump because they would be easier to defeat in the general election.
“This is not a game,” said Kinzinger.
“If you keep stoking the fire, you can’t point fingers when our great experiment goes up in flames,” he added.
“Unfortunately, we now live in a world where lies trump truth, where democracy is being challenged by authoritarianism. If we, America’s elected leaders, do not search within ourselves for a way out, I fear that this great experiment will fall into the ash heap of history,” Kinzinger said.
“To millions of Americans looking for solutions, not lies, it is up to us to ensure that this ship does not sink,” said Kinzinger.
Kinzinger is leaving after serving 12 years in Congress. He’s now running an organization called Country First, which aims to “repair and restore democracy” and mend political divisions.
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