Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger announced Wednesday that he is endorsing President Joe Biden's reelection bid.
Kinzinger's announcement comes weeks after his former chief of staff Austin Weatherford joined the Biden campaign.
Kinzinger was one of two Republicans to serve on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol in 2021-22. The committee was largely discredited by Republicans, who echoed Trump's claims it was a partisan witch hunt. Kinzinger, whose six-term tenure in Congress ended at the start of last year, did not seek reelection.
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Kinzinger did not issue an endorsement in the 2020 election. In 2016, Kinzinger decided not to back Donald Trump in the general election after endorsing Sen. Marco Rubio in the GOP primary.
"I am a proud conservative, always have been," he said. "As a proud conservative, I've always put democracy and our Constitution above all else. And it's because of my unwavering support of democracy that today, as a proud conservative, I'm endorsing Joe Biden."
In his announcement on social media, Kinzginer called Trump a "direct threat to every fundamental American value."
"He doesn't care about our country," Kinzinger said. "He doesn't care about you. He only cares about himself. And he'll hurt anyone or anything in pursuit of power. We saw that when he tried to overturn an election that he knew he lost in 2020."
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The Biden campaign welcomed Kinzinger's endorsement as it tries to court Republicans disenchanted with Trump.
“Our campaign is proud to earn the support of Congressman Kinzinger, a true public servant who is a model for putting our country and our democracy over party and blind acquiescence to Trump," said campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez. “Congressman Kinzinger represents the countless Americans that Donald Trump’s Republican Party have left behind. Those Americans have a home in President Biden’s coalition, and our campaign knows that we need to show up and earn their support."
Trump's campaign did not immediately react to Kinzinger's announcement but has criticized Kinzinger in the past.
