Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., blasted Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., on Sunday as a "corporate Democrat" who "sabotaged" the Democratic Party following her announcement she was becoming an independent.
During his appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" with co-anchor Dana Bash, Sanders said Sinema did not have the wherewithal to take on special interests while also attacking her steady pro-Joe Biden voting record.
"She is a corporate Democrat who has, in fact, along with Sen. [Joe] Manchin [D-W.Va.] sabotaged enormously important legislation."
On Friday, Sinema announced she was leaving the Democratic Party, three days after Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., was victorious in the runoff, giving Democrats a 51-49 Senate majority.
Sinema will retain her committee assignments through the Democratic caucus, allowing the party to keep much of its gained power compared to the power-sharing created by the current 50-50 makeup.
Still, her move is vital to whether Democrats will nominate a candidate for Arizona's upcoming Senate contest in 2024.
Sinema hasn't stated whether she is running for reelection, but rumors had grown that Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., would primary challenge Sinema.
"I happen to suspect that it's probably a lot to do with politics back in Arizona," Sanders said on CNN of Sinema's decision.
"I think the Democrats, they're not all that enthusiastic about somebody who helps sabotage some of the most important legislation that protects the interests of working families and voting rights and so forth," he added. "So I think it 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."
Sanders is now one of three independents in the upper chamber. He and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, both caucus with Democrats.
Along with Manchin, Sinema was among the most moderate of the Senate Democratic Conference, leading to sometimes razor-thin majorities.
She has opposed eliminating the filibusters, the Senate's 60-vote threshold for passing most bills. Progressives have even accused her of being cozy with corporate interests because she nitpicked Democrats' massive social spending bill.
"Americans are told that we have only two choices — Democrat or Republican — and that we must subscribe wholesale to policy views the parties hold, views that have been pulled further and further toward the extremes. Most Arizonans believe this is a false choice, and when I ran for the U.S. House and the Senate, I promised Arizonans something different," Sinema wrote in an Arizona Republic op-ed.
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