'That firewall is crumbling': Ex-GOP lawmaker slams Trump ally for defending antisemite

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) took time on CNN Thursday evening to tear into Kevin Roberts, president of the far-right Heritage Foundation, for his refusal to condemn ex-Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for interviewing white nationalist Hitler sympathizer and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.

Roberts' claim that Fuentes and Carlson shouldn't be deplatformed has sparked a firestorm of anger and divided staffers within Heritage itself, fracturing the organization responsible for crafting President Donald Trump's Project 2025 agenda. It wasn't until after days of controversy that he finally backtracked.

"Congressman, what — Idon't understand why it's adifficult question at all," said anchor Anderson Cooper. "Shouldn't — I think allRepublicans would condemn NickFuentes' hateful comments, fullstop."

"Yeah, you'd think. But remember, Donald Trumpinvited him ... toMar-a-Lago to have lunch with him and Kanye," said Kinzinger. "This iscrazy. I mean, look, this is — there's always been, you know,we'd have Lincoln Day dinners,right? This is like the bigfundraisers for the GOP. Andthere'd always be a weirdtable. And the weird table wouldalways have 1 or 2 people thatwere kind of like Nazi-ish, Iguess. And that firewall, forthe most part, in the GOP, heldwhere it's like, yeah, they maybe considered to the right, butthey're not part of us."

Now, however, he said, "Itfeels like that firewall iscrumbling and you hear sometimespeople on the right say, we haveno enemies to the right. Andwhat they're saying is anybodythat is on the right, even asfar as Nazism — we have noenemies, we have to make commoncause. The ultimate enemy is theleft and the liberals. And sothe fact that it has taken Kevin,that Heritage Foundationpresident or chairman, whatever,as long as it has to condemnthat is enough to say like that firewall is crumbling now."

"I'llgive Ted Cruz something here forspeaking out as quickly as theydid on this. Some of them," added Kinzinger. "Butthis — this has to be burned rightout of the party. Andunfortunately, it's taking toolong to do that."

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