The legislative leadership in Arizona hears calls for seven of their Republican colleagues to be expelled from the House and Senate. The incoming legislators in question “Stop The Steal”. They are Republican Reps Mark Finchem, David Cook and Walt Blackman along with Republican Senators Wendy Rogers, Kelly Townsend, Sonny Borrelli and David Livingston.
The “Stop The Steal” movement claims that President Donald Trump won Arizona and the country in the November 3 election. Both claims are completely false and have been dismissed in at least 60 federal and local court proceedings nationwide, including several in Arizona. On Wednesday, the false convictions and a call for action by President Trump caused his supporters to riot and temporarily seize the American Capitol building. As they stormed the halls, Congress’s joint sitting confirming the election vote was forced to hide. The vote was finally certified at 4 p.m. Thursday.
“We have substantial evidence that this election was a fraud in six states,” Mark Finchem (R-LD 11) told ABC15 Arizona as he walked the streets of Washington DC on the morning of the riot. “If there is violence, it will be through Antifa.”
Finchem, representing Oro Valley, traveled to Washington to take part in the protests. He posted photos from outside the Capitol on Twitter with a picture of the protest: “What happens when people feel ignored, and Congress refuses to admit fraudulent fraud”.
Newly elected Senator Wendy Rogers in Arizona reflected that statement, including on Twitter.
“I condemn the radical Antifa crowd for the attack on the Capitol and I condemn the Democrats for wanting to defend the police they protect,” Rogers tweeted on Monday.
The accusation of Antifa is a factually incorrect conversation of members of the right-wing Republican Party. In September, Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, said that although Antifa is real, it is seen more as an ideology and not as a group.
Rogers also blamed the U.S. Congress for the death of protester Ashli Babbit, who was shot dead by Capitol police after breaking his windows and trying to enter the halls.
Congress caused the assassination of a peaceful unarmed air force veteran today because they ignored the requests of the people. She was shot in the neck and is now deceased. All they had to do was allow an audit of the machines and voices. This could have been avoided.
– Wendy Rogers (@WendyRogersAZ) 7 January 2021
Finchem and Rogers are two of the seven elected lawmakers targeted by a progressive legislative policy group as unfit and dangerous to serve in the Arizona legislature. Progress Arizona has called on House President Rusty Bowers and Senate President Karen Fann to remove the following state legislators before swearing in Monday:
- Elected Senator Kelly Townsend, representing East Mesa and Gold Canyon
- Elected Senator Sonny Borrelli representing Lake Havasu And Kingman
- Elected Senator David Livingston of Surprise and Sun City
- Representative David Cook of the San Tan and Globe Areas
- Elected Representative Walt Blackman Representing Flagstaff
“We appeal to expel them based on their behavior and the disasters that took place in the U.S. Capitol yesterday,” Jenny Guzman told Progress Arizona. “At the very least, they should hold themselves accountable by reprimanding them from their presidency.”
Arizona House President Rusty Bowers and House leader Ben Toma made the statement Wednesday, condemning the violence at the U.S. Capitol, but declined to comment on the call to remove the seven lawmakers:
“In America, we respect and honor the fundamental right to expression and protest, as long as it is done so peacefully. However, the behavior that took place at the American Capitol building today was anything but. It was a despicable and dangerous attack on the heart of the representative government that could not be tolerated or excused in a civil society.
“We must all revisit the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln, whose words of hope still resonate, in these and many other contexts: ‘We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Although passion may be tense, it may not break our bonds of love. The mystical chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone across this broad land, will still make the chorus of the Union swell, when touched again, so sure they will be, by the better angels of our kind. ‘”
State Sen. Legislature and minority leader of the State Senate, Rebecca Rios, said it was highly unlikely that Arizona’s majority leaders would take any action.
“It’s an embarrassment, and to be honest, it’s disturbing,” Rios said of her colleagues inciting protests. “They are part of the problem. They directly instigated this uprising, this attempted coup, for our democracy.
“If we’re really concerned about the behavior of elected individuals here in Arizona, they should at least be held accountable. The issue needs to be addressed by the whole body, I do not believe that will really happen,” Rios said. .