A local Republican County Committee recently signed on to a letter condemning the actions of an Illinois Republican Congressman. The Greene County Republican Central Committee joined in with the county chairs of 35 other counties in southern Illinois to condemn the actions of 16th District Congressman Adam Kinzinger’s condemning of the belief that fraud was committed in the 2020 election, his recent actions to impeach former President Donald Trump, and his acceptance of the election of President Joe Biden.
In a letter dated on Thursday, the party chairs from the 36 southern Illinois counties have called Kinzinger’s public claims that are not in support of Trump or in the belief in fraud in the 2020 election “baseless” and “non reflective of the belief” held by those 36 county chairs. The letter encouraged “One Mind One Strength and No Division.” Former President Trump carried Greene County with 76% of the popular vote.
Kinzinger was one of 11 Republicans who crossed party lines on Thursday to strip Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of her House committee assignments in response to supporting to what Kinzinger has characterized with Democrats “false conspiracies and violence against politicians.” Except for Kinzinger, Illinois’ congressional delegation of 13 Democrats and five Republicans voted along party lines. Kinzinger has also been critical of House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy for not taking quicker action in removing Greene or tamping down talking points about the 2020 election being fraudulent nor condemning further the January 6th Capitol riot, saying McCarthy should “stand for truth.” Kinzinger also voted to impeach former President Trump a second time within the week.
The Illinois GOP issued a statement on Thursday saying they strongly disagreed with any Republican who voted for a second impeachment. The press release also acknowledged that the new GOP Chair’s greatest and toughest endeavor ahead is unifying the party in the wake of the Trump Administration. The Illinois GOP called the current moment a “circular firing squad” as the party continues to attempt to navigate divisive rhetoric.