Word has it the Biden administration’s Justice Department and FBI nearly launched a criminal probe into then-Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., over questionable campaign spending after she dared to ditch the Democratic Party, Fox News reported.
Here’s the crux: after Sinema bolted from the Democrats in 2022 to become an independent, federal authorities mulled investigating her for alleged campaign finance violations, though the probe never materialized.
For hardworking taxpayers, this saga raises red flags about government overreach and the potential misuse of federal resources to target political outliers, especially when campaign spending scrutiny could lead to hefty legal costs or penalties for the accused.
Sinema’s exit from the Democratic Party in 2022 was a bold move, shaking up the political landscape and apparently catching the eye of federal watchdogs.
Fast forward to early 2024, and the New York Post dropped a bombshell report on her campaign expenditures, spotlighting six-figure sums spent on security details, luxury hotels, fancy cars, and even concert tickets.
According to Federal Election Commission filings cited by the Post, Sinema’s campaign shelled out a staggering $796,565 on hotels, vehicles, and entertainment, plus another $265,521 on security alone in 2023.
Emails uncovered by the New York Post reveal that in February 2024, officials in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, alongside a prosecutor from the Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney’s office under Matthew Graves, were hashing out whether to dig deeper into Sinema’s finances.
FBI agents from the Washington Field Office were also looped in, with one special agent, Walter Giardina, reportedly eager to join the potential investigation into possible violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act.
Graves himself is said to have flagged the Post’s story to the Biden-era DOJ and FBI, suggesting a keen interest in scrutinizing Sinema’s actions post-party switch.
Daniel Winkler, Sinema’s chief of staff, didn’t hold back in defending her, saying, “It’s disappointing, though not surprising, to learn that Walter Giardina, who led politically motivated investigations at the FBI, also sought to investigate Kyrsten for partisan political reasons after she defied Biden and the Senate Democrats to protect the filibuster.”
Winkler added, “Giardina’s pathetic attempts led nowhere, his abuse of power is now exposed to the public, and the filibuster stands strong today.” Let’s unpack that—while Winkler’s frustration with perceived political targeting is palpable, conservatives might argue no one should be above scrutiny when public funds are in question.
After all, if the numbers are accurate, those lavish expenses could signal a deeper issue of accountability that deserves a hard look, regardless of party affiliation.
In the end, federal prosecutors decided against pursuing an investigation, and no formal probe into Sinema was launched, leaving the matter unresolved in the public eye.
Sinema, who chose not to seek re-election, has since been succeeded by Democrat Ruben Gallego in the Senate, while Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department, Sinema, and Winkler for comment, with the FBI declining to weigh in.
From a conservative lens, this episode underscores a broader concern about selective enforcement and the weaponization of federal agencies against those who buck the progressive agenda—yet it also reminds us that fiscal responsibility must apply to all, no exceptions, if we’re to protect the integrity of our system.
