Kinzinger: My ‘biggest regret’ was voting against first Trump impeachment

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Friday expressed regret for failing to vote to impeach former President Trump the first time over his dealings with Ukraine in light of the recent Russian invasion. 

Trump was impeached the first time in December of 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. However, he was later acquitted in the Senate. 

“I want to be honest, in congress I have only a few votes that in [hindsight], I regret. My biggest regret was voting against the first impeachment of Donald Trump,” the congressman wrote in a Twitter thread on Friday.

Kinzinger explained that it was important for leaders to “admit regret” when possible. 

“The bottom line, Donald Trump withheld lethal aid to Ukraine so he could use it as leverage for his campaign,” he said. He further stated that Trump’s exchange with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2019 had lasting impacts on the country. 

“This is a shameful and illegal act, directly hurting the Ukraine defense today.”

He then called on Americans to focus on putting the interests of the nation above allegiance to a single political party.

“I wish i could go back in time and Vote for [Trump’s impeachment], but I cannot. What we can do now is to ensure that this NEVER happens again, and that we all put the interests of our nation above our party.”

Kinzinger, who announced that he will not be seeking reelection in the House, has been a vocal critic of Trump. The Illinois Republican serves on the House committee investigating the events of the Jan. 6 insurrection with fellow Trump detractor Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). 

Kinzinger has previously called out the divisive effect Trump’s presidency has had on the nation. 

“Dehumanizing each other has become the norm,” Kinzinger said last year as he announced that he would not run for reelection.

“We’ve taken it from social media to the streets. We’ve allowed leaders to reach power selling the false premise that strength comes from degrading others and dehumanizing those that look, act or think differently than we do. As a country, we’ve fallen for those lies, and now we face a poisoned country filled with outrage blinding our ability to reach real strength.”