A spokeswoman for an Illinois congressman who doubles as a Wisconsin National Guard pilot says he shouldn't face any discipline for criticizing Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers for withdrawing troops from the U.S. southern border because he was off duty when he made his remarks.
Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger criticized Evers on Twitter and on Fox News on Monday for an executive order pulling Wisconsin National Guard troops out of Arizona. Wisconsin statutes prohibit a commissioned officer from using "contemptuous words" against government officials, including the president and Wisconsin's governor.
.@GovEvers, your guardsmen saved many lives and protected our country on this mission. Did you go visit them on the border to see for yourself? Or did you make your decision based solely on politics?
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) February 25, 2019
Guard officials and Evers' office are looking into whether to discipline Kinzinger, a Bloomington-Normal native and Illinois State University graduate.
Kinzinger's spokeswoman, Maura Gillespie, tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Kinzinger was exercising his freedom of speech rights off duty, just as he has done when he has criticized President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama.
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