From the podium, Harris waved his neck in a gesture commonly used to signal silence.

Two-and-a-half years after Donald Trump falsely claimed victory in the 2020 election, Republican officials should hold fellow party members accountable for spreading or spreading misinformation about the electoral system. False claims were particularly prevalent in GOP circles in Arizona, undermining support for democracy, and lawmakers futilely searching for evidence that the vote was rigged, costing taxpayers millions. It cost us dollars.

But the Arizona legislature’s lawsuit, which helped perpetuate unsubstantiated beliefs that the Sinaloa drug cartels were orchestrating a fraudulent election, ended this month in an unusual twist.

The story of how the Republican Party decided to oust Harris — the fourth time in history that an Arizona Congressman has been expelled — tells the story of Republican lawmakers monitoring themselves for election-related misinformation. I’m clarifying what I need to do.

Interviews with 18 members of Congress, staff members, local leaders, and political operatives found that even considering the extreme nature of the false allegations, they did not warrant expulsion from the Republican-led House of Representatives.

Instead, both her disloyalty with her colleagues about whether she had prior knowledge of the content of the witness’s planned testimony, and her willingness to help spread conspiracy theories aimed at the party’s own leaders, she said she was done. They said

“There are a lot of election naysayers out there,” said a senior House Republican, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share her candid assessment of the Republican caucus where election naysayers are common. If that’s what we were going to do, about ten people would have been expelled by now.”

Harris denied the allegations against her, claiming she told the truth. was. Meanwhile, in Montana on Wednesday, Republicans voted to bar transgender lawmakers from the state capitol.

In each of these cases, Democrats condemned the decision as an improper punishment for legally elected officials. Unlike , Harris’ dismissal was bipartisan.

The vote to remove her was the first among Republicans to win the 2022 election by a narrow margin, angering Republican leaders who helped block parts of the party’s legislative agenda. It came only after lengthy deliberations on how to treat lawmakers. Tenure time.

Harris, in her early 50s, quit her job after an investigation found that the Republican-led House Ethics Committee lied to colleagues about knowing what witnesses were going to testify at hearings about election fraud. solved. That she helped her organize.

Like other Republicans, Rep. Timothy Dunn said he voted to oust Harris because he misled his colleagues about his involvement in the testimony.

“You have to be honest,” said Dunn, who called for law changes to strengthen the “integrity of the election,” but didn’t accept the false fraud allegations.

Democrats who also supported the ouster of Mr. Harris said they believe other factors are at work for Republicans.

“If Liz Harris was only going after Democrats and not Republicans, especially the Speaker of the House, they probably wouldn’t have begged us to go ahead with the ouster.”

Harris, who works in the real estate industry, has amassed an online following for her election fraud theories and was recently elected to a leadership position within Maricopa County’s Republican Party. After the 2020 poll, She helped organize door-to-door efforts to find scams. The effort came at a time when state Senate Republicans commissioned their own initiative to expose alleged voter fraud.

Her campaign in the legislature last year focused not only on increasing border security and keeping critical racial theories out of schools, but also on voter fraud.

Even before being sworn in following his victory in In the battlefield Phoenix area in November, she took issue with Republicans. Angered by the party’s defeat and allegations of fraud, she threatened to abstain from voting unless a new election was held.

In a Telegram statement, Harris said, “While we are grateful to have been declared the winner after the recount, Arizona still needs a new election. A ‘deserving and brave judge’ will call for further scrutiny of mail-in ballots.” If allowed, she wrote, “The need for this re-voting will become apparent to everyone.”

Under pressure from his Republican colleagues, Harris quickly gave in and agreed to serve as a congressman. According to her public records, she introduced legislation seeking a near-total ban on early voting.

she is february sank the bill It was part of her party’s spending package. To obtain permission to hold a joint hearing, which is sponsored in part by Harris, According to Capitol Media ServiceThe hearing gave Harris a prominent platform to help inject a previously unknown conspiracy hypothesis into mainstream Arizona politics.

On February 23rd, Harris said,special joint meetingof the legislature.” She called her witness, local insurance agent Jacqueline Breger, into the microphone.

Without providing credible evidence, and with little dissent, Breger criticized Thomas, Governor, Senator Kirsten Cinema (I), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, city judges, and other leaders. He has been accused of money laundering, drug trafficking and public corruption. and fraudulent elections.

Investigation result “It’s just the tip of the iceberg,” she said.

Breger did not respond to a request for comment.

As the hearings drew to a close, far-right Republican Senator Wendy Rogers, who chaired the conference, said: I thank Breger for his courage.

Many of the claims had previously been made by an insurance agent boyfriend during legal proceedings involving his family. A federal judge wrote they were “delusional and fantastic,” court records show.

The legislature has been the scene of many egregious election fraud allegations in the past, but this time the backlash was immediate.

Thomas was furious, said a person familiar with the debate but not authorized to speak publicly. Speaker of the House He asked for patience while he considered his next step.

Through a spokesperson, Thomas declined to comment on his private deliberations.

Meanwhile, conspiracy theories take root. A few days after the hearing, Republican state representative Dunn held a meeting in the Yuma County district. He couldn’t even get to his remarks about his job at the State Capitol. Agitated audience members questioned him about the effects of the alleged cartel on state officials., judges and others.

“It took off like a fact,” recalls Dunn.

Around the same time, Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone, a Democrat, and his wife were at a social event when they were cornered by voters calling for an investigation.

Without much publicity, the sheriff appointed two detectives to examine the allegations to determine whether they merited a full investigation, according to records obtained by The Washington Post and interviews with people familiar with the investigation. I investigated.

Detective It quickly concluded that there was no evidence of corruption.

“I think I had an obligation to conduct some review,” Penzone said. “If the allegation has legitimate aspects and there is a serious crime, it should be investigated. And if the allegation is false, what impact might it have on public perception?”

House Democrats filed an ethics complaint on March 6 after Republicans appeared to walk away from the controversy. Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton wrote that the claim was threatened “The heart of our democracy” and “the election itself.”

Harris denied at the ethics hearing that he knew the witness would accuse the government official of the crime. An investigation conducted by the House Ethics Committee found that was not the case. Citing evidence, including text messages between a witness, Harris, and her witness’ boyfriend, the commission found that she “knew, or at least knewof the Witness Plan’.

Privately, Mr. Thoma and other Republican leaders were preparing for an expulsion vote, lawmakers recalled. Shortly before that, Thomas and the majority leader gave Harris the chance to “fight or step down before he votes,” said one Republican lawmaker. “She chose to do neither.”

As Her colleagues prepared to pass judgment on her. Harris sat quietly at his wooden desk back of the chamber. She wrote in the post, “I’m not lying, and God knows the truth. The truth will come out.”

Congressman Alexander Kolodin (Republican) voted against his expulsion. “Make things worse.”

But he was also in the minority in his own party. The House voted 46 to 13 to oust Harris, with 18 Republicans supporting his removal.

He currently serves on the Republican-led governing board of Maricopa County, which helps administer the election. Defying efforts by Trump allies to overturn the vote in 2020, fill the empty seats. But the Council’s options are limited. State law requires Harris to be replaced by a local Republican nominee.

That choice last week reflected how many of the party’s activists continue to stand against the election. At a building in Chandler, a city east of Phoenix, Harris supporters wore Trump hats and held placards that read, “Restore Liz Harris.” Shouting through loudspeakers, they accused the legislator of stealing the will of voters and demanded her reinstatement – a move local officials did against two Tennessee legislators who were ousted this spring. Same as

After two late-night ballots by members of precinct committees, Republicans have settled on three candidates. One was the top vote-getter, Harris. Another campaigned alongside Harris last year, but a third have a history of outspoken election denial.

County commissions do not have deadlines to nominate replacements. But the GOP’s narrow majority in the House adds urgency. County leaders are examining candidates’ biographies and social media posts to learn more about their views on the election.

County Speaker Clint Hickman, a Republican, made a speech in January, resisting pressure from Trump supporters to delay recognition of his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. With investigators cooperating with the Special Counsel’s investigation into efforts to overturn that vote.

He didn’t say who he would endorse to fill the vacancy. However, he said Harris’ choice to replace him showed that election denials still had a strong impact on the state’s Republican Party.

“Is this really the best of parties?” he wondered.

Alice Crites contributed to this report.