The former Republican congressman from Illinois will be a senior political commentator on the network
Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger has joined CNN as a senior political commentator, the network confirmed Wednesday, less than a week after he officially left the House. He made his first appearance as a contributor on Erin Burnett OutFront, stating that he was “excitedto join the team.
Kinzinger opted out of seeking another term representing Illinois in the House in 2021 because his theatrical stint as one of two Republicans on the Jan. 6 committee investigating former President Donald Trump in about the Capitol riot, as well as his support for impeachment, had alienated many within his own party. The other Republican, Liz Cheney (Wyoming), a “never Trump” compatriot, was not reelected either.
The six-term rep was a frequent guest on CNN during the January 6 hearings, a fact that led to many social media mocking his new job on Wednesday. Kinzinger”basically giving CNN his resume for the past year“, tweeted Axios journalist Tim Baysinger, while Chuck Ross of the Washington Beacon referred to his”two-year apprenticeship” at the cable outlet.
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He joins CNN as the network, under new management since May, struggles to reinvent itself from a mainstay of the anti-Trump “resistance” to a more moderate outlet. CEO Chris Licht tried to reassure viewers that he wants to soften the network’s image, that doesn’t mean inviting views from the conservative right.
Indeed, while Kinzinger joins a handful of other Republicans at CNN, all of them — including Ana Navarro and former congresswoman Charlie Dent — are fellow Never Trumpers.
Since joining the January 6 committee, which recommended charges against Trump in its final report, he has become a critic not only of the former president, but of the party leadership in general, recently accusing the former House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for the “crazy elementsto Congress.
While the congressman hinted at a 2024 presidential election when he revealed he wouldn’t be running for re-election in 2021, telling CNN he didn’t want to “exclude anything“, he more recently rejected the idea while acknowledging that it would be”amusementto run against Trump.