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Feb 10, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Kinzinger: "We have to recognize" possibility of a civil war

Erin Doherty

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said Thursday that "we have to recognize" the possibility of a civil war, adding, "I don't think it's too far of a bridge to think that's a possibility."

Driving the news: "We're identifying now by our race, by our ethnic group, we're separating ourselves and we live in different realities," Kinzinger said on ABC's "The View."

  • "And I think we have to warn and talk about it so that we can recognize that and fight hard against it and put our country over our parties, because our survival actually matters," he added.

The big picture: Kinzinger's comments come after the Republican National Committee censured Kinzinger and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) for serving on the House Jan. 6 select committee.

  • The RNC, which said the efforts to investigate the Capitol riot amounted to the "persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse," drew pushback from some Republican figures, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

What he's saying: "In the past, I've said, oh, we don't want to talk about it, because I don't want to make it likely," Kinzinger said. "Well, let's look at where we are.

  • "It's going to be armed groups against armed groups, targeted assassination and violence. That's what a 21st and 20th century Civil War is."
  • "A once great party, a party that stood for something, stood for principles, whether you agree with those principles or not, is now a party that stands for loyalty to one man, that was clear in the RNC censure, and that's what makes me sad more than anything," he said.

Go deeper: Kinzinger: McCarthy a "feckless, weak" man

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