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2023-05-06 -Lurid Crime Tales-

Arizona lawmaker expelled over drug cartel claims loses bid to reclaim seat

Harris was kicked out last month in a bipartisan vote for organizing a presentation where an Arizona insurance agent made unsubstantiated accusations that a wide range of politicians, judges and public officials of both parties took bribes from a Mexican drug cartel.
[FoxNews] Republican Julie Willoughby will head to Phoenix in former Rep. Liz Harris' place.

Republican lawmaker Liz Harris, who was previously expelled, will not be sent back to the Arizona House of Representatives, Maricopa County officials announced Friday.

The county's Board of Supervisors instead selected Republican Julie Willoughby to replace her, despite Republican precinct committee members in her legislative district giving Harris the most votes.

"In my discussions with Ms. Harris, she firmly believes her removal was improper and unlawful," said Supervisor Jack Sellers, who represents an area that includes the legislative district. "This board was not a party to that process but must give weight to an action that over two-thirds of the House members voted in favor of."

Willoughby, an emergency room trauma nurse, teamed up with Harris in campaign ads and events during last year's election. They had hoped to win both district seats, but Harris and Democratic Rep. Jennifer Pawlik emerged as the top two vote-getters.

Harris was kicked out last month in a bipartisan vote for organizing a presentation where an Arizona insurance agent made unsubstantiated accusations that a wide range of politicians, judges and public officials of both parties took bribes from a Mexican drug cartel.

A prominent supporter of discredited election conspiracies, she was also found by the House Ethics Committee to have engaged in "disorderly behavior" in violation of the chamber’s rules.

The committee’s report said Harris knew that the person she invited to the legislative hearing in February would accuse her colleagues of criminal activity, that she took steps to hide it from House leaders ahead of time and then misled the committee investigating her actions.

Her removal 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.

Posted by Skidmark 2023-05-06 00:38|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11154 views ] Top

#1 By the pattern, within 12 months her presentation will be proved true.

Posted by Super Hose 2023-05-06 10:38|| 2023-05-06 10:38|| Front Page Top

#2 I have long suspected exactly what the insurance agent claims. Why else would our country be flooded with illegal narcotics from Mexico?

Posted by Abu Uluque 2023-05-06 11:40|| 2023-05-06 11:40|| Front Page Top

#3 In fact, why else would the legislators kick Harris out of the legislature? I think it's like the old Rantburg expression about the flak getting heavier the closer you get to the target.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2023-05-06 11:42|| 2023-05-06 11:42|| Front Page Top

#4 Interesting perspective from the Washington Post:

Kari Lake-backed candidate replaces ousted election denier in Ariz. legislature

Officials in Arizona’s largest county on Friday voted on a replacement for Liz Harris, a former state representative who peddled false and outlandish claims of election fraud and was expelled from her seat last month.

In a 4-1 vote, the GOP-led Maricopa County Board of Supervisors selected Julie Willoughby, a Republican nurse who campaigned alongside Harris during the 2022 GOP primary but later narrowly lost the general election, coming in third. (The top two vote-getters won seats to represent the district.) Willoughby was endorsed by Kari Lake, the Donald Trump-backed GOP gubernatorial candidate who still falsely claims she won her own contest.

Arizona House Republicans moved immediately to get Willoughby sworn in less than two hours after the vote. The county board, which helps administer elections, had no deadline to name a replacement — but the GOP’s slim majority in the House and ongoing budget negotiations added a measure of urgency.

Posted by trailing wife 2023-05-06 14:23|| 2023-05-06 14:23|| Front Page Top

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