- Congressman Adam Kinzinger is a rare Republican who voted for Trump’s impeachment.
- It was not a popular movement within his party or among his constituents.
- But in a new interview with Anthony Fisher of Insider, Kinzinger says members of his own family have circulated a petition denying him.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois is one of ten Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for his role in inciting the insurrectional crowd that attacked the United States Capitol on January 6. warn the GOP about the pernicious influence of the QAnon conspiracy theory, many months before Trump supporters broke into the building.
In response to his impeachment vote, Kinzinger faced a wave of vitriol from his party’s pro-Trump chants. He was called “RINO” – or “Republican In Name Only” – received death threats and is almost certain to face a major opponent supporting Trump for his seat in the House in 2022.
But the reaction is not just between the public and other lawmakers. In a new interview with Insider opinion columnist Anthony Fisher, Kinzinger said members of his own family had turned against him due to his vote:
“My father’s cousins sent me a petition – a certified letter – saying that they disowned me because I am in the ‘devil’s army’ now,” said Kinzinger in a telephone conversation on Thursday. “It’s been crazy, when you have friends – who you think are good friends who are going to love you, no matter what – it doesn’t.”
In the interview, Kinzinger also talked about how he had a bad feeling that there would be violence on Capitol Hill on January 6, so much so that he took his gun to his office.
He also spoke about the bond he shares with the other nine Republicans who voted for impeachment, how he tries to convince Trump supporters that his vote was an act of conscience and why he is not in the least concerned about losing his seat in the Congress.