Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said he was not present at the Capitol for the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack because he is on “baby watch.”
Kinzinger announced in July that he and his wife, Sofia, are expecting a baby boy in January 2022.
“I wish I could be there too, but I’m on baby watch,” Kinzinger wrote on Twitter in response to a post about low Republican representation in the House chamber for a moment of silence on Thursday.
“I am in spirit,” he added.
Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The Illinois Republican is one of two members of his party to sit on the House select committee probing the deadly riot.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) led a moment of silence on the House floor on Friday to commemorate the solemn anniversary. The Democratic half of the chamber was full of members, while only two individuals were present on the Republican side: Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the other GOP lawmaker on the House panel, and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Kinzinger’s “baby watch” note was in response to a tweet from CNN reporter Manu Raju, who noted that the Cheneys were the only two GOP individuals in the House chamber during the moment of silence.
Kinzinger has been a vocal member of the Jan. 6 select committee, frequently appearing for media interviews to detail updates on the panel’s probe. He has also been a critic of his own party and former President Trump.
Additionally, he has in the past spoken about his experience in the Capitol on Jan. 6, revealing in an interview in November that he considered firing his weapon as the violent mob was storming the Capitol.
The six-term congressman announced in October that he will not be seeking reelection in November. Kinzinger mentioned his baby on the way in a video announcing his retirement, saying “I went in as a single man, and met the best woman ever, and now we’re excited to welcome a baby boy in January.”