Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) missed the vote on the initiative to establish a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot after she touted the effort’s importance.
How we got here: On May 19, the House passed the bill that sought to create a commission to look into the riot that took place at the Capitol on Jan. 6 in a 252-175 vote. A total of 25 Republicans joined Democrats in support of the bill and sent it to the Senate chamber.
In the Senate, where Republicans’ and Democrats’ seats are equally divided, the GOP managed to block the legislation from proceeding. More Senators voted in favor of the bill (54-35), however, there were not enough to overcome the filibuster and reach the necessary 60 votes.
Simena was not in attendance when her colleagues in the Senate voted on the initiative. She didn’t register a vote for the commission either.
Why it matters? Simena urged Republican lawmakers to approve the commission in a joint statement with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).
“The events of January 6th were horrific. We could never have imagined an attack on Congress and our Capitol at the hands of our own citizens,” they said in a statement that was released on May 25.
“In the hours and days following the attack, Republican and Democratic members of Congress condemned the violence and vowed to hold those responsible accountable so our Democracy will never experience an attack like this again,” the statement continued.
“A bipartisan commission to investigate the events of that day has passed the House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote and is a critical step to ensuring our nation never has to endure an attack at the hands of our countrymen again. 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,” the senators said.
Worth noting: Simena was not the only one that did not vote on the bill. Ten other senators, including Republicans, missed the vote as well.
It is still unclear why she was not in the Senate when the vote took place.
A spokesperson for the Senator, Hannah Hurley, told The Arizona Republic on Friday that the Sinema backed the bill publicly “and she will be entering into the Congressional record that she would’ve voted yes.”
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