Sanders: Sinema Is Just a ‘Corporate Democrat’ Who ‘Sabotaged Enormously Important Legislation’

Sen. Bernie Sanders is not excited that there is another independent in the U.S. Senate. Speaking about Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s recent defection from the Democratic Party, Sanders seemed underwhelmed. “She’s a corporate Democrat who has… sabotaged enormously important legislation,” he said.

“I don’t want to spend a whole lot of time on Sen. Sinema. She has her reasons,” Sanders told host Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union. “I happen to suspect that it’s probably a lot to do with politics back in Arizona. I think the Democrats there are not all that enthusiastic about somebody who helped sabotage some of the most important legislation that protects the interests of working families and voting rights and so forth.”

Sinema has been a near constant irritant for Democrats in the Senate as she slowed or blocked important pieces of legislation. Arizona Democrats have been openly critical of Sinema and even censured her for blocking filibuster reform that would have allowed Democrats to pass historic legislation to protect voting rights. Sinema drew criticism from Democrats nationally when she delayed Biden’s Build Back Better bill over her objections to increases in the corporate tax rate — opposition Democrats told Rolling Stone they believed was “inauthentic.” She has even earned praise from the opposing party. GOP Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, called her the “most effective first-term senator” he’s ever seen.

Continuing his thoughts on Sinema’s defection, Sanders added, “I think [her leaving the Democratic Party] really has to do with her political aspirations for the future in Arizona. But for us, I think, nothing much has changed in terms of the functioning of the U.S. Senate. The good news is that we now have 51 votes, we’ll have the majority on committees. It means we can go forward and start protecting the interests of working families and deal with the reality that we are increasingly living in an oligarchy where the billionaire class and large corporations control almost every aspect of our country.”

When Bash asked whether Sanders would support a Democrat running against Sinema in 2024 when her term ends, the senator said he supports “people who have the guts to take on powerful special interests.”

Bash next asked if Sanders believes that Sinema has the guts to take on powerful special interests. “No. She doesn’t,” he said. “She’s a corporate Democrat who has, in fact, along with Sen. Manchin, sabotaged enormously important legislation.”