At DNC, Republican Adam Kinzinger Says Trump ‘Suffocated the Soul’ of GOP

As one of only two Republicans who served on the Jan. 6 Committee, Adam Kinzinger gave credibility to the congressional investigation of the insurrectionist riot. Now the former Illinois congressman is brandishing his Republican roots to elevate Kamala Harris’ campaign for President.

In a short speech at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night, Kinzinger offered a full-fledged endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket. “I’m proud to be in the trenches with you as part of this sometimes awkward alliance,” he said, “to defend truth, democracy, and decency.”

But much of Kinzinger’s remarks were aimed at his longtime adversary: former President Donald Trump, whom he excoriated as a toxic force in American politics. “Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party,” he said. “His fundamental weakness has coursed through my party like an illness. Sapping our strength. Softening our spine. Whipping us into a fever that has untethered us from our values.”

After a violent mob attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Kinzinger became one of Trump’s most vocal and vociferous GOP critics. He was one of 10 Republican House members to vote to impeach Trump after the assault. He and former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney were the only Republicans to serve on the panel that ultimately recommended criminal charges against Trump. Not coincidentally, neither of the two are still in Congress. Kinzinger chose not to seek reelection, and Cheney lost to a Trump-backed primary challenger. 

A former lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, Kinzinger invoked his national security bona fides to lambaste Trump for abandoning the muscular internationalism that has defined decades of U.S. foreign policy. “How can a party claim to be patriotic if it idolizes a man who tried to overthrow a free and fair election?” he said. “How can a party claim to stand for liberty if it sees a fight for freedom in Ukraine, an attack pitting tyranny against democracy, a challenge to everything our nation claims to be?”

Last February, Trump petrified America’s traditional allies by saying at a campaign rally that Russia could “do whatever the hell they want” to a NATO country he believes doesn’t spend enough on collective defense. He’s also suggested he might not maintain aid to Ukraine’s defense against Russia. “I wouldn’t give unless Europe starts equalizing,” Trump told TIME in April “If Europe is not going to pay, why should we pay?”

Kinzinger portrayed Trump’s behavior and policies as a disqualifier, whereas Harris would uphold the ideals of liberal democracy, he said. “I know Kamala Harris shares my allegiance to the rule of law, the Constitution, and democracy,” Kinzinger said. “Whatever policies we disagree on pale in comparison with those fundamental matters of principle.” 

To that end, Kinzinger encouraged his fellow Republicans to reject the party to which he devoted much of his adult life. “I urge you: Make the right choice,” he said. “Vote for our bedrock values. Vote for Kamala Harris.”