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Kyrsten Sinema Is Only LGBTQ+ Lawmaker Who Hasn’t Backed Impeachment

Kyrsten Sinema Is Only LGBTQ+ Lawmaker Who Hasn’t Backed Impeachment

Of the 10 LGBTQ+ members of Congress, Sinema stands alone.

Well, that's one way to celebrate Bisexual Awareness Month.

Arizona Senator and bi fashion icon Kyrsten Sinema is the only LGBTQ+ member of Congress who hasn't backed an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump following reports that he attempted to pressure Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky into digging up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for a formal investigation into removing the president from office. The effort is currently being backed by 204 of the 235 Democrats in the House of Representatives, as well over a dozen Senators.

Of the 10 gay, lesbian, or bisexual people currently seated in either the Senate or the House of Representatives, nine have voiced their support for the House inquiry. Those include House Reps. David Ciccilline (D-R.I.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), Katie Hill (D-Calif.), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), and Mark Takano (D-Calif.).

In a statement posted to Twitter, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) claimed Congress has a "constitutional responsibility to get all the facts and provide oversight of the Executive Branch."

Sinema -- the only other LGBTQ+ member of the Senate and its only bisexual representative -- was more measured in calling for the president to be held accountable for encouraging a foreign power to smear his political rivals. When the Arizona Republic asked whether she supports impeachment, the paper notes that she "did not explicitly say whether she supports or opposes the inquiry."

"I agree with my Republican and Democratic Senate colleagues that Congress must be given complete access to the whistleblower's report and transcript as required by law," Sinema said in a statement. "Arizonans deserve a transparent and accountable government."

It's not entirely surprising that Sinema would break with her fellow LGBTQ+ lawmakers. The Junior Senator ran is often described as a "moderate Democrat" or "conservative Democrat" and is among the most right-leaning members of her party. A report by the data journalism websiteFiveThirtyEight found that she agrees with Trump's policies 54.5 percent of the time.

But as more lawmakers join calls for impeachment, the White House released a transcript of the Trump's call with Zelensky that the Department of Justice claimed clears him of wrongdoing. The president has called on Democrats to "apologize."

However, the five-page document released on Wednesday -- which shows the president clearly encouraging another country to interfere in a U.S. election -- is not a complete record of the conversation. As Outpreviously reported, the transcript is merely a paraphrased version of the call typed out by a White House staffer.

RELATED | GOP Fundraises $1 Million Off Trump's Impeachment

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