Illinois county GOP censures Kinzinger over Trump impeachment

The GOP group from an Illinois county represented in Congress by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) has officially moved to censure the congressman for voting in favor of impeaching former President Trump last month. 

The La Salle County Republican Central Committee announced in a press release late Wednesday that more than 88 percent of the group voted in favor of censuring Kinzinger, who has emerged as a prominent Trump critic, adding that the committee “has received unsolicited support for the censure from over 40 county Republican Central Committees around the state of Illinois.” 

The committee’s statement says that the censure “disavows Rep. Kinzinger for acting contrary to the values of the La Salle County Republican Central Committee.”

The group’s chairman, Larry Smith, added in a statement that he had received “hundreds upon hundreds” of emails, texts and phone calls from within the county and beyond “expressing their frustration and a lot more with Congressman Kinzinger’s actions and statements the past few months.” 

“Many have been very direct that their support for the Republican Party is over if Congressman Kinzinger’s behavior isn’t addressed,” Smith continued. “Though our Central Committee is not noted for political activism and we have always supported Republicans at every level, Congressman Kinzinger’s actions and statement against former President Trump have opened a Pandora’s Box of criticism.” 

The La Salle County Republican Central Committee has voted to censure @RepKinzinger. pic.twitter.com/GvhtOCXuRK

— La Salle County Republican Party (@lasallecntyGOP) February 4, 2021

Kinzinger’s office did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment. 

Kinzinger, a vocal GOP critic of Trump, is the latest among the Republicans who voted in favor of impeaching Trump to be censured by GOP groups. 

Ten GOP lawmakers joined all House Democrats last month in voting to impeach Trump, charging him with inciting the deadly mob attack on the Capitol. Since then, at least six have been censured or condemned by state or local Republican parties. 

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who Wednesday evening defeated a push to have her removed as House GOP conference chair, was censured by the Republican parties in 10 Wyoming counties. 

Kinzinger was among those who rallied behind Cheney in Wednesday’s vote, and Thursday released a statement in support of her holding onto the House leadership post, arguing that Cheney “voted her conscience and leads with conviction.” 

“We need leadership like Liz Cheney, and we need to tell the truth to the American people,” Kinzinger added. “As a party, we must stand for truth, not conspiracy theories and lies. We must be the party of ideas, not rabble-rousers and personality politics. We must be the party of hope and optimism, not anger and negativity.”