Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) was introduced on CNN Wednesday night as a senior political commentator at the network. Kinzinger, who had served six terms in Congress but declined to run for reelection in 2022, voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, and was a member of the bipartisan House Jan. 6 Committee. “It’s great to be on the team,” he told CNN’s Erin Burnett. “I’m excited.” Reacting to Republicans struggling to choose the next Speaker of the House, Kinzinger called for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to “step aside” as a candidate. “I’ve been critical of him ever since Jan. 6, his return to Mar-a-Lago, his continuing to try to assuage this caucus,” he said. Kinzinger added that he would like to see Democrats agree on “an acceptable Republican” and convince enough Republicans of the need for an “institutionalist.”
