- Kinzinger said that if Pence “divorces” Trump, he “is now Ron DeSantis.”
- The Illinois lawmaker said Pence should have been more outspoken about his role on Jan. 1. 6 earlier.
- “I do want an answer from him…why did you wait two years to talk about it?” Jinqinger asked.
Republican Rep. Adam Kinsinger said that if former Vice President Mike Pence was “fully divorced” from former President Donald Trump and had a direct Republican vote on his role on Jan. 6, 2021, He will be “the current Ron DeSantis.”
Kinzinger spoke about Pence on Charlie Sykes’ Bulwark podcast, saying he has “mixed feelings” for the former vice president.
“His people are very cooperative, very helpful, so that’s good,” he said of the Jan. 6 House inquiry. “I have mixed feelings about Mike Pence. On that day, he did the right thing. Basically, he did the legal thing.”
“Things I struggle with him. I think in his heart he’s a good guy, but he hasn’t said a damn word for two years after Jan. 6. He gave a speech where he said ‘I didn’t overturn the election Right. That’s big news, okay? But we did a lot of things that he knew the answer to,” he continued. “He could have come in and volunteered to talk to us. He said the president put him in danger. What’s more important to you? Make sure you save some surprises for your book or the future of your country.”
Kinzinger said that while the Pence v. Trump matchup will be “interesting,” he wants to learn more about his role on Jan. 6.
“Look, I’d love it if Mike Pence ran for president against Donald Trump. It’d be fun to watch. But I do want an answer from him…why are you waiting two years to talk about it? I get it. You’ve been a loyal vice president in a way. I don’t blame him for things he disagreed with Trump and didn’t necessarily say during his time as vice president,” he said.
“Mike Pence, if after January 6th he had a full divorce from Donald Trump and would go out and talk about it, he would be Ron DeSantis right now. It’s a compelling case for the Republican base, even if they don’t like him at the moment, I think he can be a replacement for Donald Trump. Right now, I don’t know where he stands,” he added.