Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) “mocked” President Joe Biden at a fundraiser, according to a book.
Axios’ Mike Allen reported on details included in the upcoming book, “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future,” by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns.
According to the authors, one person close to Biden compared the president’s “perplexity at Sinema to his difficulty grasping his grandchildren’s use of … TikTok. He wanted to relate, but he just didn’t quite get it.”
They noted in the spring of 2021 Sinema “became the first-ever lawmaker to argue with White House aides when they asked her to wear a face mask in the company of the president, repeatedly asking why that was necessary when she had been vaccinated.”
Biden aides also complained that she “sounded more like Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) than a Democrat,” Allen writes.
Allen explained during a fundraiser Sinema “mocked Biden while speaking warmly about House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, and even defending far-right Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who denied the election results and claimed Antifa had infiltrated the Capitol riot.”
Sinema reportedly said, “I love Andy Biggs,” adding, “I know some people think he’s crazy, but that’s just because they don’t know him.”
[Sinema defended] far-right Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who denied the election results and claimed Antifa had infiltrated the Capitol riot. "I love Andy Biggs," she said. "I know some people think he’s crazy, but that's just because they don’t know him." https://t.co/95gTLGxsUY
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 16, 2022
In January, Sinema dealt a major blow to the president’s push to change the filibuster for voting rights legislation, as IJR previously reported.
“The debate over the 60 vote threshold shines a light on our broader challenges,” Sinema said.
She added, “There’s no need for me to restate my long-standing support for the 60 vote threshold to pass legislation. There’s no need for me to restate its role protecting our country from wild reversals in federal policy. It is a view I’ve held during my years serving in both the U.S. House and the Senate. And it is the view I continue to hold.”