Appearing on CNN to discuss North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis' decision to not run for re-election after battling with Donald Trump, ex-Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Il) took a shot at Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) for lacking the courage Tillis has shown.
Speaking with John Berman, Kinzinger agreed with the CNN host that he has a lot in common with Tillis, having also decided not to run for re-election after disagreeing with the direction the party has gone under Trump.
That led to a discussion about Hawley, who has been very vocal about the Medicaid cuts in the pending budget bill, saying they were unacceptable before flip-flopping and saying he would vote for it.
"You always have this faux, this fake, opposition to these things until the chips fall," Kinzinger told the host.
"You know, there's always in the House of Representatives, a moderate contingent that is just opposed to this because of SALT. And then there's a conservative contingent that, 'Gee, it raises the national debt,'" he pointed out. "And yet somehow at the end, they always miraculously get it through with just enough people voting no, that it passes — same with the Senate."
"You know, Josh Hawley spends a year with his trying to build up his blue-collar, you know, credentials and say that he cares about the working class and he cares about Medicaid cuts and even says it after he votes to advance the Medicaid cut bills," he added.
"It's a whole game," he accused. " he wants to maintain this idea of being a middle-class fighter or a fighter for the working class. But, of course, he's not going to oppose President Trump. Of course, he's going to do what they want and that's exactly what you're seeing there."
"That's like, I think, the American people become so cynical about politics," he suggested. "And this is why it's stuff like this, it's not because people are conservative or liberal, it's because people say they're one thing and then always vote another way because, 'Gosh, I can't go against the president or my party or whatever.'"
You can watch below or at the link.