The report stated that Harris violated Rule 1 of the state House’s rulebook, committing “disorderly behavior” and “damaging the institutional integrity of the House.”
By Ray Stern || The Arizona Republic
A Chandler lawmaker violated the rules of the Arizona House of Representatives through her role in a public presentation that accused elected officials and others of unvetted claims about participating in a cartel “bribery” scheme, the House Ethics Committee has found.
The nine-page committee report released Tuesday condemns first-time officeholder Rep. Liz Harris for falsely telling the committee that she didn’t know what her guest would say at the Feb. 23 presentation and deemed it appropriate for House members to “decide what disciplinary measures should be taken.”
The report stated that Harris violated Rule 1 of the state House’s rulebook, committing “disorderly behavior” and “damaging the institutional integrity of the House.” The House cannot “tolerate” behavior like Harris’s that “erodes public trust in the Legislative process,” it continued.
Harris could face punishments that range from censure, which requires a simple majority vote, to expulsion from the House, which would take a two-thirds vote of lawmakers.
The five-member Ethics Committee chaired by Rep. Joseph Chaplik, R-Scottsdale, all agreed on five main points, including that she “knew or was at least aware” of her guest’s allegations and “took steps” to hide those details from the Legislature before the presentation.
Harris appeared before the committee in a March 30 hearing and argued that she had the right to present constituent complaints about potential wrongdoing. She denied that her guest had made direct criminal allegations.
Read the report:Arizona House Ethics committee says Liz Harris should face punishment
In the 41-minute presentation at the joint House and Senate Election Committee hearing in February, Scottsdale insurance agent Jacqueline Breger shocked officials with accusations that Gov. Katie Hobbs, House Speaker Ben Toma, lawmakers, judges, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and others conspired with a Mexican drug cartel and received bribes through a scheme using property deeds.
Breger failed to mention that two women she claimed were key players in the scheme were the ex-wife and former mother-in-law of her boyfriend John Thaler, a lawyer with a suspended license, who was the source of the claims. Thaler had previously outlined the same bribery scheme in court proceedings related to this divorce and child custody case; two separate judges in federal and Maricopa County Superior courts called the narrative “delusional.”
The House Ethics Committee began its investigation after an official complaint was filed by Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, D-Tucson.
