House expels Harris after report of disorderly behavior

Table Of Content

• Arizona House expels Republican Rep. Liz Harris for ethics violation
• GOP lawmakers call to ‘gut’ university funding after controversial event at ASU
• Arizona House expels GOP lawmaker who presented unproven accusations
• Republican election denier expelled from Arizona house
• Mexican officials regret US decision not to retry American rancher in fatal shooting of Mexican
• Housing bill near, lawmaker says
• Role Spreading Multiple Conspiracies Following the 2020 Election

Alongside Harris and Chaplik, the Republicans who voted against it include Reps. Neal Carter, David Cook, Gail Griffin, Justin Heap, Rachel Jones, Alexander Kolodin, Cory McGarr, Barbara Parker, Jacqueline Parker, Kevin Payne and Austin Smith. Livingston said his vote to expel Harris wasn’t personal, but it was standing up for the integrity of the institution of the House. The Arizona House of Representatives voted Wednesday to expel Rep. Liz Harris, R-Chandler. "It sets a bad precedent because it says we're going to expel members for playing shell games and hiding the ball. Well, start expelling members for that, there would only be a few occupied seats down here," said State Rep. Alexander Kolodin.

Arizona House expels Republican Rep. Liz Harris for ethics violation

After the hearing, the Democratic representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton filed an ethics complaint against Harris. The bipartisan house ethics committee, chaired by a Republican, subsequently investigated the complaint and concluded Harris had committed disorderly behavior in violation of house rules. The committee recommended the full house decide how best to discipline Harris.

GOP lawmakers call to ‘gut’ university funding after controversial event at ASU

She did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. Alexander Kolodin, who voted against expulsion, said expelling Harris set a bad precedent because it held her accountable for comments made by a member of the public. The expulsion “gives credit to these awful allegations and makes her a martyr for them”, she said. Before she joined the legislature, Harris gained notoriety for her involvement in election denialism. After the 2020 election, she led an unsanctioned canvass of voters, which was then debunked by elections experts.

Arizona House expels GOP lawmaker who presented unproven accusations

Harris' expulsion came less than a week after Tennessee Republicans voted to expel two black Democrats, a decision that made that state a new front in the battle for the future of American democracy. But the Arizona vote did not carry the same partisan and racial overtones. Instead, there was widespread and bipartisan condemnation for Harris’ actions.

Republican election denier expelled from Arizona house

House Democrats said the report validated their previous attempt to censure Harris — a maneuver that was sidestepped by House Republicans, who said at the time it was premature pending an ethics investigation. “What the House Rules cannot tolerate is a member engaged in the conduct described above, which erodes public trust in the legislative process,” according to the report, which was unanimously signed by the three Republicans and two Democrats on the panel. It’s the second time in six years the House has voted to kick out one of its own. Don Shooter, who was found to have serially sexually harassed his colleagues and lobbyists at the state Capitol.

Mexican officials regret US decision not to retry American rancher in fatal shooting of Mexican

All Democrats and about half of Republicans voted to expel Harris in a vote. She’s the first lawmaker to be expelled in Arizona since Rep. Don Shooter was kicked out for sexual misconduct amid the 2018 #MeToo movement. Rep. David Stringer quit the following year after old sex crimes charges came to light that likely would have led to his expulsion. The vote against Harris comes less than a week after Tennessee Republicans voted to expel two black Democrats, a decision that made that state a new front in the battle for the future of American democracy. But the Arizona vote did not carry the same partisan and racial overtones, with widespread and bipartisan condemnation for Harris’s actions.

Housing bill near, lawmaker says

Arizona Republican leaders spoke out against the Breger incident in the days following, with House Speaker Ben Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen, pinning the blame for the presentation on Harris. Harris is the first lawmaker to be expelled from the House since 2018 when Rep. Don Shooter (R) was expelled amid sexual harassment allegations. The House made the vote with 46 representatives voting yes and 13 voting no. The resolution to expel Harris cites the committee’s findings, which said the first-term lawmaker knew in advance Breger was going to make the criminal allegations and failed to provide the information for review beforehand, in violation of House regulations. "We need 31 votes to pass any bill," said House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Glendale, adding that Republicans must have had a "strict majority" to pass bills on party lines.

Arizona House votes to expel Rep. Liz Harris - KJZZ

Arizona House votes to expel Rep. Liz Harris.

Posted: Tue, 11 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Ethics Allegation for Dishonest Non Disclosure

Harris’s Republican colleagues were split on the expulsion vote, with some saying she clearly crossed a line and others saying expulsion went too far despite her lack of judgment on the issue. The complaints, filed by Reps. Barbara Parker, R-Mesa; David Marshall, R-Snowflake; Jazqueline Parker, R-Mesa; and Rachel Jones, R-Tucson, state that some members of the House felt “threatened and intimidated” by the behavior from De Los Santos and Ortiz. James Barton, the attorney representing De Los Santos and Ortiz, didn’t dispute what Ortiz and De Los Santos did in his response letter but argued the House shouldn’t allow rules of decorum and civility to bar “passionate debate” the Democrats engaged in.

Role Spreading Multiple Conspiracies Following the 2020 Election

Harris told The Washington Post ahead of the vote, "I didn't lie and God knows the truth. The truth will come out." Harris did not speak on her own behalf as the House voted to expel her. Only after the House adjourned did a handful of her supporters in the gallery speak out, shouting "shame on you, shame, shame, shame." The desk used by Arizona Republican Rep. Liz Harris at the state Capitol in Phoenix stands empty moments after she was expelled from the Legislature on Wednesday. “The actions of Representatives Ortiz and De Los Santos did not come close to what transpired on Capitol Hill that day. The not-so-subtle effort to equate the two is disgusting,” Barton wrote.

Ethics Chairman Rep. Joe Chaplik, R-Scottsdale, led the investigation and report conducted for Harris. He said he thought it was appropriate Ethics members make their own decision on the vote to expel Harris and was the only Ethics member who voted against expelling her. In a report released Tuesday, the House Ethics Committee says it also found that Harris, a freshman Republican lawmaker from Chandler, later lied when claiming she had no idea that the witness would make such wild accusations. That was problematic enough to merit the ethics investigation and expulsion, according to House Speaker Ben Toma — a Republican, and one of the lawmakers falsely accused of criminal activity.

But an aerial map of the property, available online at the Maricopa County Assessor’s website, showed a house with a pool on the 4.3-acre property, with two registered voters. "Bad behavior can no longer be allowed to continue. That is it," said State House Speaker Toma. "On a personal note, the only thing we have down here is our word and our integrity, and when that is clearly crossed, when you can no longer count on someone's word and integrity, they can no longer be an effective legislator." The State House Speaker, Rep. Ben Toma (R), said Harris' expulsion was necessary, and that she needed to be held accountable for her bad behavior. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has 10 days to appoint someone to replace Harris. The hearing that became Harris’ downfall was just the latest in a series of similar events since the start of the year, though it was the first to catch such widespread backlash.

Breger, an insurance agent from Scottsdale, attributed her allegations to a report written by John Thaler, who she said was an attorney with a background in fraud investigations. The full chamber vote came a day after the House Ethics Committee released a report that said Harris damaged “the integrity of the House” through her actions. PHOENIX (AP) — Republican lawmaker Liz Harris who was previously expelled will not be sent back to the Arizona House of Representatives, Maricopa County officials announced Friday. Steele is precinct committee member for the district who was among the signers of a March 28 resolution by GOP district officials in support of Harris for "her commitment to Election Integrity, and her efforts to expose corruption on whichever side of the aisle it falls."

The Arizona Republican Party on Saturday sent a flat out, full-throated, flabbergasting message to the voters of this great state. According to state law, the Legislative District 13 Republican precinct committees will pick three candidates to fill Harris’ seat. Those nominees will go to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, which will make the final pick. The Republicans who voted against expelling Harris included many in the Freedom Caucus.