‘Don’t touch me’: Kyrsten Sinema badgered again over Biden spending bill
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema was assailed while walking through an airport by a climate change activist who confronted the Arizona Democrat over her opposition to President Biden’s massive social spending bill, new video shows.
Sinema was walking with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) when the woman, who called herself a constituent, began asking about her opposition to the Build Back Better bill.
In the video posted on Twitter Monday by People’s Watch, a group advocating for climate legislation, the woman began walking alongside Sinema and Scott.
All three were masked.
“I’m from Tucson, Arizona. And I’m wondering — I know you’ve met with dozens of lobbyists,” the woman said to Sinema.
At that point, Sinema pulled away from her and said, “Don’t touch me.”
“I did not touch you,” the woman replied, then continued: “I know you’re meeting with dozens of lobbyists and talking with corporate donors about the package. How many times will you meet with constituents? How many times have you met with constituents in negotiating Build Back Better?”
By then, Sinema had turned away from the woman and begun speaking to Scott.
“Sorry about this,” she told Scott.
“I think it’s par for the course,” he replied.
But the agitator remained alongside, matching them step for step and peppering Sinema with questions about why the senator would not meet with her constituents.
“Every single year in Arizona, it’s getting hotter and hotter. We’re breaking records,” the woman said.
“People are suffering. Your constituents are suffering. What are you going to do about climate change?” the woman told Sinema. “Please answer me, Senator.”
The encounter ended when Scott and Sinema turned and stepped onto an escalator.
As they rode the escalator, a man pointed to Scott and said, “Thanks for your work.”
Sinema was also confronted on Oct. 4 at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC — a day after members of an activist organization followed her into the bathroom at Arizona State University, where she teaches.
Sinema, along with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), has questioned the cost of Biden’s $3.5 trillion social spending plan and some of its proposals.
The legislation is stalled in Congress as negotiations continue.
The harassment began on Oct. 3 when activists followed her into a bathroom at ASU and pressed her about her stand on providing a pathway to citizenship for many immigrants.
“We knocked on doors for you to get you elected. Just how we got you elected, we can get you out of office if you don’t support what you promised us,” one of them said to Sinema.
The next day, activists confronted the senator as she returned to DC.
Sinema was walking through the airport and talking on her cellphone when a group of activists walked up and started asking her about opposition to the bill.
“Do you want to cut climate priorities? Is that elder care that you want to cut, or is it child care?” they said to her.
All of the encounters were captured on video.
