Rep. Adam Kinzinger announced the formation of a new group Sunday called “Country First,” saying that he aims to eliminate the “poisonous extremism” that he says has overtaken politics in the United States.
“Looking in the mirror can be hard. It’s time to choose what kind of party we will be, and what kind of future we’ll fight to bring about,” he said. "This (group) is a home for principled Americans who are tired of the poisonous extremism that has overtaken our beloved nation's politics."
Kinzinger made the announcement in a video on the group’s new website and on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, saying that Republicans need to take stock of where the party is, and where it is heading after the presidency of Donald Trump.
“The Republican Party has lost its way,” Kinzinger said. “If we are going to lead again, we need to muster the courage to remember who we are.”
Kinzinger was one of the first Republican lawmakers to publicly part with Trump after the events of Jan. 6, when a violent mob of the former president’s supporters stormed the United States Capitol building.
Kinzinger denounced Trump’s actions and voted to impeach him in a House vote on Jan. 13.
Now, Kinzinger has launched the “Country First” group in an effort to draw the party back from what he calls the extremism that has led Republican actions in the last four years.
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“This is no time for silence. Not after the last month. Not after the last few years,” Kinzinger says in an introductory video on the group’s website. “Someone needs to tell the truth. Someone needs to say what history needs to hear.”
