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Leaving the Party and Facing Retaliation
By 2022, Sinema had had enough. She switched her registration to independent and opted not to seek re-election in 2024. While the left celebrated her departure, the backlash followed her.
Internal communications obtained by the New York Post show that Biden’s Justice Department and the FBI even discussed a criminal probe into Sinema in February 2024—more than a year after she left the Democratic Party. D.C. prosecutor Elizabeth Aloi suggested looking into alleged campaign finance violations, and FBI agent Walter Giardina immediately volunteered: “I’m interested in looking at the Sinema referral if its [sic] something you’re looking to assign.”
Her chief of staff, Daniel Winkler, described the effort as politically motivated: “Walter Giardina, who led politically motivated investigations at the FBI, sought to investigate Kyrsten for partisan political reasons after she defied Biden and the Senate Democrats to protect the filibuster.” The investigation stalled—not for lack of effort, but because there was nothing to pursue.
A New Platform
This week, Sinema found a new home. The Washington Reporter announced she is joining as a contributing columnist. Founded in 2024 by former Republican congressional aides Brian Colas and Garrett Ventry, the outlet is backed by over $1 million from conservative donors.
Colas defended the hire, saying, “The Reporter is a center-right publication, but our aim is to reach a bipartisan audience. For Sen. Sinema, our Republican audience finds her insights fascinating, especially on policy debates like AI and drug pricing and financial services.” He added that Washington’s reaction has been “unanimously positive.”
Irony for the Democrats
The irony is striking. Senators like Chuck Schumer spent years pressuring Sinema to end the filibuster. Joy Behar called her a democracy enemy. Biden’s Justice Department explored a criminal case against her. And yet, with Republicans now controlling the Senate and Donald Trump back in the White House, Schumer relies on the very filibuster Sinema defended as his sole tool to hold power.
Sinema is no longer waiting for Democrats to treat her with respect. She’s writing for a conservative newsroom, and Republican Hill staffers are calling her insights “fascinating”—while Schumer is left without answers. The Democrats didn’t lose her because she failed them; they drove her away. The choice was theirs. The choice was hers.
