PHOENIX (AP) – The Arizona Senate on Monday launched an investigation into the ethics of a member of the Republican brand who tweeted provocative comments about last weekend’s racist attack on a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, which killed 10 people.
The referral of Senator Wendy Rodgers from Flagstaff to the Ethics Committee was instead of the immediate expulsion the Democrats had planned, said GOP majority leader Rick Gray. Considerations of due process require no less than ethical investigation, he said.
But Democrats were furious, noting that Rodgers had just been reprimanded in March for a series of tweets and statements that embraced white nationalism and called for violence.
Despite a two-party vote of 24 to 3 on the Republican plan to open an ethics committee review that could lead to expulsion, reprimand or reprimand, Democrats have failed to get any Republicans to support their proposal to expel Rodgers.
On Saturday, as news of the mass shooting of a white suspect who posted a racist stunt on the Internet and drove about 200 miles (322 kilometers) to a predominantly black neighborhood in Buffalo, Rodgers tweeted: “Federal Boy Summer has begun in Buffalo. ”
Many of both parties accepted the tweet to mean that Rodgers blamed the federal government for the attack, especially in light of Rodgers’ history of embracing conspiracy theories and publishing racist images.
Senate Republican leaders sought to address the controversy Monday morning with a statement condemning the violence and “all the hate speech that inspired these kinds of heinous crimes.”
Without mentioning Rodgers’ name, the statement said that “words have consequences, and while we believe in our first amendments to the right to free speech, we deny any extremist rhetoric that has fueled these horrific acts.”
Only three members voted not to open the ethics investigation, including Rodgers and Republican Sen. Warren Peterson, who said he had not even heard of the dispute when he entered the Senate. Republican Sen. Kelly Townsend, who is challenging Rodgers in the Republican primary, after moving both to the same county, also opposed the ethical inquiry.
Townsend said Rodgers’ comments were a disgrace to the state and the Republican Party, and added to the pain of the families of those killed in Buffalo.
“But she has the right to do them,” Townsend said. “I have to defend the right of a person to say ugly things. That is why the First Amendment exists. It doesn’t exist for kind words – it exists for ugly words. “
Rodgers issued a statement after the vote, criticizing Democrats for what she said was an attempt to split Republicans, and said her now-deleted tweet had been misinterpreted.
“Unfortunately, my comment was completely taken out of context and turned into a fake story, which is now the focal point of a firestorm created by some race-obsessed members of the media,” Rodgers said in a statement.
The long Senate debate over what to do with Rodgers has become a scandal, with Republicans accusing Democrats of trying to make political hay and Democrats accusing Republican members of a model of avoiding awkward racial debates by stopping any debate on the issue.
Republican Sen. Sonny Borelli called it an example of a culture of rejection of Democrats who dislike Rodgers and her policies. Others agreed that Rodgers’ words were used against her.
“This is not a crime that can be banished,” said Republican Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita. “Ds politicize it.”
She called it a dangerous precedent to consider excluding or even reprimanding a member for their tweets or comments.
GOP Sen. JD Mesnard, who was a spokesman for the House of Representatives when a member was expelled in 2018 after a series of allegations of sexual misconduct, said the ethics committee’s hearings and trial were urgent.
“This is the equivalent of a legislative execution,” Messnar said of Rodgers’ expulsion proposal. “That’s why due process and ethical process and investigation are so critical.”
Democrats cited Rodgers’ previous problems, which began in the month she was sworn in in 2021 when an official accused her of harassment and other unprofessional conduct, and the March 2022 reprimand, which was also approved by 24-3 votes. with three members not present. Townsend was absent, but said she would vote in favor.
“How many times do you allow your children to get out of control before giving them the opportunity to be disciplined,” said Democrat Sen. Theresa Hatatli. “Discipline is a moment of learning. That’s something we already had. “
Democratic Sen. Martin Kezada said much the same, accusing Republican members of “kicking the box out of the way” by failing to take immediate action.
He said Rodgers’ tweets didn’t need to be investigated and they and her story were all that was being played out.
“Now there is experience, now there is a pattern of behavior,” Kezada said. “We have not heard of any efforts to defend these actions. And my guess is that there is no defense against these actions. ”
Rodgers did not comment on a Senate session where other members spent hours discussing it.
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