Adam Kinzinger lashes out at Kevin McCarthy's 'complete lie' as the GOP leader tries to smear him

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) is pushing back against a recent claim made by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

The Illinois lawmaker was responding to a report shared by CNN's Capitol Hill reporter Melanie Zanona who tweeted, "I asked Kevin McCarthy for reaction to the Kinzinger news. He told me Kinzinger was once lobbying to serve as Trump's Air Force secretary, and even asked McCarthy to "put a word in" with Trump. "During the Trump administration, no one called me more for a job," McCarthy said.

In response to her tweet, Kinzinger fired back to set the record stratight as he slammed McCarthy and former President Donald Trump. He described the claim as a "complete lie," adding, "Standard nowadays in the trump/McCarthy playbook."

Kinzinger's remarks come just one week after he announced he has no intention of seeking re-election next year. The decision followed the announcement of a redistricted electoral map in Illinois that ultimately merged Kinzinger's district with another Republican who has remained loyal to Trump. With those changes and Kinzinger's adamant opposition toward the former president, winning re-election would be a steep climb.

"We've allowed leaders to reach power selling the false premise that strength comes from degrading others and dehumanizing those who look, act or think differently than we do," Kinzinger said. "As a country, we've fallen for those lies and now we face a poisoned country filled with outrage blinding our ability to achieve real strength."

"Our country is in danger," Kinzinger warned. "It's the definition of insanity to believe the leaders who got us into this mess are going to get us out of it."

The Republican lawmaker was one of 10 in his party to vote in favor of Trump's impeachment. Like Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Kinzinger has not minced words when sharing his disapproval of the former president and his fellow lawmakers who have done Trump's bidding.

Although Kinzinger is not running for re-election in his current position, Zanona also confirmed he's "'definitely' not ruling out a White House run in 2024." She added, "And he's considering bid for senate or governor in Illinois, w/ a decision on those likely by January. All those options, however, would be an uphill climb."