If you watched Tucker Carlson’s show Wednesday night, you know that he enjoyed saying, “I told you so.” At the end of the hour, Tucker delivered a little update on the career of Adam Kinzinger. Kinzinger, the former congressman from Illinois, is now a senior political analyst for CNN.

This is not a surprise. Kinzinger, despite cozying up to Democrats during the Trump years, including being chosen by Nancy Pelosi as a member of the hyper-partisan January 6 committee, was redistricted out of his congressional seat. Going to CNN as a contributor was Tucker’s prediction for Kinzinger in December. Kinzinger landed an even better spot as a senior political analyst. I imagine other Never-Trump Republicans already at the network as political contributors must have raised an eyebrow or two at the favoritism shown to the former congressman.

A former colleague of mine at NewBusters described how Erin Burnett made the big announcement on her show yesterday. She gushed.

Burnett introduced “former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger,” proclaiming: “I am pleased to welcome him to CNN. He is appearing tonight for the first time in his new role which is senior political commentator.”

“Congressman, we really are thrilled to have you on board. So welcome. People have seen you over the past of course couple years on the January 6 committee. And we’re so glad to have you on board,” Burnett gushed over the disgraced former Congressman.

It’s a natural fit for Kinzinger, though MSNBC must be disappointed. With the exception of maybe a couple of conservatives who regularly contribute to political shows, the Republicans that the network hires are those who can be counted on to spew negatively against other Republicans and conservatives. The network enjoys talking about diversity but not diversity of political thought. Democrat groupthink still reigns at CNN.

CNN’s new president, Chris Licht, has made headlines by claiming he wants the network to deliver a more balanced tone in political discourse. This new personnel hire does not match that rhetoric. It’s the same old, same old for CNN. Liberals need not fear, CNN is still their network.

Adam Kinzinger served six terms in the House with little distinction, until the days of the Trump impeachments. He was a frequent guest on cable television political shows as a Trump critic, especially after the events of January 6, 2021, He served in the Air Force before entering politics and remains in the Air National Guard. Most recently he has blamed Kevin McCarthy for what he calls “the crazy elements” in Congress. He has even toyed with the idea of running for president in 2024, saying it would be fun to run against Trump. He has since said he decided not to do so.

Kinzinger hopes that Trump is charged with inciting an insurrection on January 6. Otherwise, he “fears for the future” of America. Imagine the airtime he could get if that happens.

“If this is not a crime, I don’t know what is. If a president can incite an insurrection and not be held accountable, then really there’s no limit to what a president can do or can’t do,” the Illinois lawmaker told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”

“I think the Justice Department will do the right thing. I think he will be charged, and I frankly think he should be,” Kinzinger said of Trump. “If he is not guilty of a crime, then I frankly fear for the future of this country.”

Kinzinger doesn’t see his political party as the future of the country. He sanctimoniously pats himself on the back for his part in the party’s self-destruction.

“The Republican Party is not the future of this country unless it corrects,” Kinzinger told Bash, adding that he views GOP leader Kevin McCarthy as responsible for Trump’s political resurrection following January 6.

“Donald Trump is alive today politically because of Kevin McCarthy,” he said. “He went to Mar-a-Lago a couple weeks after January 6 and resurrected Donald Trump. He is the reason Donald Trump is still a factor.”

Kinzinger said that while he is “fearful in the short term” for American democracy, he is more hopeful in the long run.

“I feel honored to be at this moment in history and to have done the right thing,” said the congressman, who has faced intraparty criticism for his stance on Trump.

Well, it earned him a sweet gig on cable news, so there’s that.

There is no love lost between Kinzinger and Tucker Carlson. Carlson penned an op-ed about the congressman, a farewell to him as he left Congress. That is when he made his prediction that Kinzinger would land at CNN. He roasts Kinzinger for getting weepy on-camera and mocks his bravado in his opinions of foreign policy.

Imagine the courage that took. “Yes, I am emotionally incontinent. Yes, I am utterly irrational. No, I will not be silent.” In Washington, Kinzinger’s performance was considered deeply inspirational. Here’s a man who has no control of himself at all, so we’d better put him in charge of important things. Kinzinger quickly became regarded as an essential voice on foreign policy. When the world hangs in the balance, you want a guy who cries a lot.

For his part, Kinzinger demonstrated a remarkable ability to make any situation on the planet, no matter how complex or weighty, all about him: diplomacy by narcissism. Here he was yesterday on the House floor in his final, yes, emotion-laden address.

Speaking of how it will all end, how’s it going to end for Adam Kinzinger? Well, we suspect it will end like it began, in anonymity. In just weeks, Adam Kinzinger will be another CNN contributor. No one will ever see him again, but we will never forget him. Adam Kinzinger will live forever in our hearts as an example of what a man can be when he stops trying to be a man and unleashes the emotionally fragile, divorced, single mom within. “Have another glass of chardonnay. Listen to me cry.” Yes, Ms. Kinzinger, we will. So, here it is one last time:

KINZINGER: I never expected today to be quite as emotional for me as it has been, but you guys won. You guys held. You know, democracies are not defined by our bad days.

Au revoir, Adam Kinzinger. See you at SoulCycle.

As I said, Kinzinger’s career move was predictable. Some former congressmen and women become lobbyists in Washington. Others go to cable news networks to cash in. Kinzinger chose the latter. Is CNN really making changes to strike a more balanced political tone?