"I actually thought the person that should have their leadership challenged was Kevin McCarthy after Jan. 6," Kinzinger, R-Ill., said during an event with the National Press Club on Monday.
Kinzinger tweeted earlier Monday that he raised worries with McCarthy that the falsehoods of former President Donald Trump and Republicans about the election being taken would lead to violence, but McCarthy rebuked his concerns.
Kinzinger increased his criticism of McCarthy later Monday during the National Press Club interview saying his concerns to the GOP leader were met with a "cricket sound."
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The six-term congressman also charged the GOP leader of kowtowing to Trump's false election claims in order to win back the majority in 2022.
"I was very disappointed when my party's leaders, Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise, in particular, decided that winning the next election and winning the majority was more important than a clear-eyed recognition of what happened on Jan. 6," Kinzinger said. "What happened on Jan. 6 was that a lie led to violence."
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Both McCarthy and Scalise are supporting the ouster of Cheney from the No. 3 leadership post and supporting Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to take her position. Stefanik has been a Trump supporter and has the former president's endorsement.
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Cheney has regularly denounced Trump's claims that the presidential election was stolen and declared she wouldn't support Trump in 2024.
"What she is being removed for is making [other Republicans] uncomfortable with being consistent and God bless her for having the consistency to tell the truth," Kinzinger said.
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Kinzinger said Cheney and McCarthy had the same first response to the Jan. 6 attack of placing blame on Trump, but the only change is that McCarthy soon went down to Florida and welcomed Trump back into the party.
"[McCarthy] basically made the decision when he went to Mar-a-Lago that he was not going to be a leader of the Republican Party. ... He handed the reins over to Trump and revived him."
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Kinzinger added: "I don't consider him to be speaking on behalf of the Republican Party anymore because he gave his voting card ... to Donald Trump."
Kinzinger said he was thinking of forcing a vote of no confidence against McCarthy for his response to Trump and the Jan. 6 riot, but instead, the Trump loyalists went on offense against Cheney that he admitted was a "brilliant strategic play" that will likely cost Wyoming's sole representative her No. 3 spot in the House on Wednesday.
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