TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A day after the Arizona House of Representatives Ethics Committee released a report that Representative Liz Harris (R-District 13) "committed disorderly behavior," the legislative body has voted to expel her from the chamber.
The resolution to expel Harris effectively cites her election conspiracy ties, her invitation of an election conspiracy theorist to speak about specific criminal accusations toward public officials in front of the House and Senate, and concludes her actions "undermined the public's confidence in this institution and violated the order and decorum necessary to complete the people's work in the State of Arizona."
READ FULL TEXT OF HOUSE RESOLUTION TO EXPEL REP. HARRIS
According to the Ethics Committee report, initially filed March 6, Harris invited a constituent—Jacqueline Breger, of Scottsdale—to give committee testimony in front of a joint House and Senate committee hearing on elections integrity on Feb. 23.
The joint hearing was conducted at Harris' request to "ensure that the voters of Arizona are confident for all future elections." The Ethics Committee report states Breger's presentation alleged election conspiracies involving bribery and money laundering among specific public officials, government employees and private citizens to influence election results.
READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE ETHICS COMMITTEE REPORT
A complaint against Harris was subsequently filed by Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D-District 21), citing Harris' personal invitation to Breger as a violation Arizona House Rule 1, which deals with behavior it considers 'disorderly'. In this case, Stahl Hamilton says Harris' invitation to Breger:
- "brought disrepute and embarrassment to the House of Representatives" and
- "allowed the impugning of other members"
The resolution to expel Harris was brought to the Arizona House Wednesday, passing by the required two-thirds vote and leaving Harris' District 13 seat vacant.
“This is a sad day for our institution. But it is a necessary day," said House Democratic Leader Andrés Cano, who represents District 20 in and around Tucson's west side.
"Misinformation, lies, and conspiracies are not harmless, and it's not just politics," continues Cano's official press statement. "The defamatory allegations that Representative Harris' invited her guest speaker to make are patently absurd, but there are many people who believe them. They believe the lies, and that evidence is clear – a member of this House plotted, and then repeatedly lied to advance false and defamatory allegations in a televised legislative hearing."
Cano states that by inviting Breger to speak in front of a televised session of the joint committee, knowing the content of her presentation ahead of time, she added an air of legitimacy to otherwise false information.
State Senator Wendy Rogers (R) issued a statement in the days following Breger's presentation, saying "[a]ny claims as serious as those presented [at the hearing] should have been immediately turned in to Arizona Law enforcement officials and not brought before the Legislature.”
The conclusion of Breger's presentation is in the video player above.
KGUN has reached out to Republican members of the state House and is awaiting their response to Harris' expulsion.
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Anne Simmons is the digital executive producer for KGUN 9. Anne got her start in television while still a student at the University of Arizona. Before joining KGUN, she managed multiple public access television stations in the Bay Area and has worked as a video producer in the non-profit sector. Share your story ideas and important issues with Anne by emailing anne.simmons@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
