PHOENIX-Scottsdale lawmakers said they went too far when the Arizona House of Representatives decided Wednesday to oust Rep. Chandler Liz Harris for ethics violations.
The congressman said Harris knew someone she invited to testify at the joint hearing on the integrity of the election would make false accusations against lawmakers, judges and the latter’s Church of Jesus Christ. The Ethics Committee’s findings were accepted by a vote of 46 to 13. She accuses her of being involved in a criminal plot to manipulate elections and other crimes.
The commission also concluded that Harris had not been honest with them about what Scottsdale insurance agent Jacqueline Breger had in advance about what he was going to say.
It takes 40 votes to remove an incumbent.
Republican Scottsdale Rep. Alexander Collodin said the House had gone too far.
“Liz Harris made a mistake. She did something she shouldn’t have done.”
And Corodin said Harris had “played a shell game,” hiding from House leaders what Breger was trying to say, despite rules to the contrary.
“But expulsion sets a bad precedent,” he said.
To make matters worse, Corodin said his reason for ousting Harris was that her conduct had undermined the “institutional integrity of the House of Representatives.” ‘ – don’t look at the situation that way.
“They will realize that there is no real voice in this body, because if they pick someone to rock the boat, if she does it the wrong way, it’s a way to think better.” However, its members will be exiled,” said Corodin.
And he claimed it made Harris a “martyr.”
Harris, a first-term member of Congress, said nothing about her defense during the vote.
Later in the House parking lot, she said, “The report is a lie.” Harris also said the vote from Republican colleagues to oust her was political.
“You have to keep the line. If you don’t keep the line, this is what happens,” she said.
Rep. David Livingston of R-Peoria said the issue must be looked at from a larger perspective.
“This, in my opinion, depends on the integrity of this institution and of us as leaders,” he said. “This is not personal.
This is the first expulsion since Rep. Don Shooter R-Yuma was accused of violating the House policy against sexual harassment in 2018.
The conclusion of the oust vote was what, and when, did Harris know about the testimony Breger was due to present at a joint House and Senate hearing on February election issues. They hadn’t pulled the plug beforehand.
Carrying handouts, Breger spent 40 minutes discussing findings that showed suspected criminal plots in Arizona, including money laundering, drug trafficking and sales, official corruption, bribery of officials, and election fraud. I gave a presentation.
She also named other members of Congress, including House Speaker Ben Thomas, R-Peoria, and Gov. Katie Hobbs, accusing these activities of being overseen by the LDS Church.
“Harris knew or knew that Ms. Breger would file these criminal charges at a joint hearing,” the five-member bipartisan ethics committee concluded.
But Mr Corodin said that was no reason to expel elected officials.
“It sets a bad precedent because we don’t want to expel members (of the House of Representatives) for speaking out to the public,” he told a colleague. It is presented that she knew it all.
But that was only part of the problem.
According to a report adopted unanimously by the House, House rules required Harris, the main organizer of the joint hearings, to present what Breger intended to present to the leadership. she didn’t.
Corodin was unsure.
“You’re setting a bad precedent because you’re saying you’ll expel a member who plays a shell game and hides the ball,” he said.here. ”
Corodin also said that ousting Harris over Breger’s presentation “gives credit to these terrible allegations and makes her a martyr to them.”
Harris did not comment during the ballot on Wednesday, but Rep. Joseph Chaprick (R-Scottsdale), chair of the Ethics Committee, said she had “due process” and “told her side of the story.” He said he was given an opportunity.
And in its report, the committee dismissed Harris’ claim at the hearing that she did not know what Breger was trying to say. He said there were text messages and meetings in between, which undermined her claim of ignorance of the planned testimony.
The Ethics Committee investigation was sparked when Tucson Democratic Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton called on the House to denounce Harris following what happened in that election hearing. The proposal was rejected by a Republican majority.
However, Stahl Hamilton has formally requested an investigation by an ethics committee, leading to Wednesday’s expulsion vote.
“Today is a sad and depressing day for our organization,” House Minority Leader Andrés Cano, D-Tucson, said of Wednesday’s vote. But he called it “necessary.”
“There has been real and lasting damage to the lives and reputations of those who do not deserve it. Most importantly, the integrity of this House has been jeopardized.”
Wednesday’s action kicked off a process in which elected precinct commissioners in her legislative district must meet within five days to nominate three Republicans like Harris to her seat. Decisions are made by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
Until that happens, Republicans may not be able to advance certain parts of the legislative agenda without Democratic support. This is because the vacancy leaves him with only 30 votes and he needs 31 votes for final approval.
Shooter’s expulsion in 2018 was the result of a 56-to-3 vote in which other legislators accused a long pattern of sexual misconduct, including proposing a female legislator and making inappropriate comments about multiple other women. It was done after stating that there had been serious misconduct.
It was the first expulsion for lawmakers nationwide after last year’s #MeToo movement, in which women alleging they were harassed and assaulted by those in power. Shooter admitted she had acted inappropriately, but she said she deserved to be punished but she shouldn’t be expelled.
In 2019, Rep. David Stringer, R-Prescott, who happened to be one of two lawmakers besides Shooter to vote against ousting, resigned in a similar move to oust him. bottom.
It came after an ethics committee investigation prompted by a newspaper report that he had been accused of sex crimes with a minor in 1983.
Bob Christie of Capitol Media Services contributed to this report.
Readers are encouraged to share their views of the public, whether for or against this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Howard Fisher
Mr. Fisher is an award-winning Arizona journalist and founder and operator of Capitol Media Services.
