Kyrsten Sinema.Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call
Days after the Senatenarrowly failed to passa bill that would have established a bipartisan investigation into the deadlyJan. 6 riotingat the U.S. Capitol, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and Washington Sen. Patty Murray — the two Democrats absent — said they missed the vote due to private issues.
According to theArizona Republic, Sinema, 44, told reporters, “I had a personal family matter” when asked why shemissed the vote.
Murray, 70, likewise told theSeattle Timesthat shealso missed the votedue to a personal obligation, saying in a statement that she had to fly home morning of the vote for “a personal family matter.”
Neither lawmaker provided more details. Both previously voiced support for an investigation.
Sinema wrote in a statement released last month with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin that she was in favor of the commission.
“A bipartisan commission to investigate the events of that day … is a critical step to ensuring our nation never has to endure an attack at the hands of our countrymen again,” the statement read “We implore our Senate Republican colleagues to work with us to find a path forward on a commission to examine the events of January 6th.”
While the measure to establish the commission passed the House of Representatives, it failed last Friday to win the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.
It drew only 54 votes, including six Republicans, against 35 “nos” — all from other Republicans — anddied last Friday. (One Republican who missed the vote, Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey,also cited a family issuefor missing the vote but said he would have voted yes.)
Sinema, whomade historyin 2018 as Arizona’s first female senator and the Senate’s first openly bisexual member, has drawn criticism in recent months from some fellow Democrats who say her moderate record is limiting their ability to legislate.
In 2019, she angered some in her party with her vote to confirm Trump nominee Bill Barr for U.S. attorney general (a move she later said shedid not regret). She has also repeatedly expressedopposition for getting rid of the 60-vote filibusterfor legislation — a rule that has recently stymied the Democratic majority from advancing items such as voting rights.
Speaking toPoliticofor a2019 profile, Sinema said that she’s staunch in her views and makes no apologies for that.
“Everyone knows that I am very independent-minded,” she said. “And that it’s not super useful to try and convince me otherwise.”
Earlier this week, PresidentJoe Bidenalluded to Sinema in aspeech delivered to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre.
According to FiveThirtyEight’s congressional vote tracker, Sinema and Manchin bothvoted with former President Donald Trumpmore than any of their fellow Senate Democrats.
source: people.com
