A sea of Trump 2020 and American flags flooded the Arizona state Capitol for a “Stop the Steal” rally./Photo by Hope O’Brien, Cronkite News
By Maria Polletta |Arizona Republic
A decision by leaders in the Arizona Legislature to temporarily shutter the House and Senate after several GOP lawmakers were possibly exposed to COVID-19 has fueled infighting within the party, with some Republicans deeming the closure a “cowardly” move.
State GOP party chair Kelli Ward and several lawmakers already were upset with Republican House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, after he issued a statement Friday rejecting calls for the Legislature to convene and appoint its own presidential electors.
After Rudy Giuliani — who’d spent hours with certain legislators in Phoenix last week during a multistate tour to contest election results — was hospitalized with COVID-19 two days later, the decision to close the Legislature for a week further fanned the anti-Bowers flames.
“This is a 100% unnecessary, cowardly move,” Ward posted Sunday night on Twitter, with the post swiftly racking up thousands of retweets. She added: “#DoYourJob #ElectionIntegrity #StopTheSteal.”
