Tensions erupt among Arizona Republicans over their ‘shameful’ voter fraud hearing

Arizona Republicans are in the midst of an internal battle after hosting a panel of election conspiracy theorists last week that implicated some of them in an alleged drug cartel corruption scandal.

The Arizona Mirror reports that Arizona Republican House Speaker Ben Toma called freshman Rep. Liz Harris by name to denounce her role in organizing the hearings, which included allegations of criminal activity leveled against Mesa Mayor John Giles and Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, both Republicans.

“What should have been a joint hearing to discuss common-sense election reforms has turned into shameful fringe theater,” he said. “I’m not the only one who believes it was irresponsible and poor judgment for Ms. Harris to invite someone to make unsubstantiated and defamatory allegations in a legislative forum. ”

TJ Shope, a Republican state senator from Arizona agreed with Toma’s comments on Twitter and said the hearing was “a disgrace and embarrassment to the Arizona legislature.”.

While the corruption allegations were initially limited to Giles and Richer, the man behind them later implicated MAGA’s favorite state senator, Wendy Rogers, in an interview in the days following the hearing.

While Rogers initially supported the election conspiracy theory hearings, she issued a statement earlier this week saying the legislative hearing was not an appropriate place to bring criminal allegations against serving Republican officials.

There is no evidence that any of these officials received bribes from drug cartels.