Arizona GOP censures Home Speaker Rusty Bowers

Arizona House Speaker Russell “Rusty” Bowers, a Republican and a key Home Jan. 6 committee witness, was censured by the Arizona GOP Government Committee Tuesday.

Bashing the highest Republican within the state home for siding with Democrats on a myriad of hot-button points, the state's GOP Occasion Chairwoman Kelli Ward declared he was "now not a Republican in good standing" and urged Republicans to "expel him from workplace" within the Aug. 2 main.

PRO-TRUMP ARIZONA REPUBLICANS TARGET RUSTY BOWERS AFTER JAN. 6 TESTIMONY

"Bowers has misplaced the boldness of a majority of Republican Occasion leaders and his colleagues within the legislature within the state of Arizona," the decision declared. "The Government Committee of the Republican Occasion of Arizona hereby formally censures Consultant Rusty Bowers and shall instantly stop any and all recognition and assist of him as a member of the Republican Occasion."

Bowers delivered scathing public testimony earlier than the Jan. 6 committee final month, recounting how former President Donald Trump pressed him to partake in a “circus” gambit to overturn the 2020 election over bogus fraud claims.

Though the censure decision kept away from closely disparaging his look earlier than the committee, his testimony drew ire from many Arizona Republicans and prompted Trump to endorse his challenger, state Sen. David Farnsworth. Ward additionally endorsed Farnsworth over him.

Fairly than harp on his testimony within the censure decision, the Arizona GOP lambasted him for opposing a invoice declaring that there can solely be two genders on authorities paperwork, supporting in-state tuition costs for migrants, supporting a invoice that rendered sexual orientation and gender id a protected class, and backing an training spending invoice. The celebration additionally chided him for not backing election reform measures.

"Bowers ensured killing all significant election integrity payments (HB 2596, HB 2289) and prevented Republicans from committee debate, flooring debate, and dealing on a product of these payments that might have addressed lots of the real and unresolved considerations following the Senate audit," the decision added.

The Arizona GOP additionally inspired the "Republican Occasion in Maricopa County and the newly shaped Legislative District 10 to ponder an analogous censure" in opposition to him.

Regardless of his criticism of Trump's actions following the election, Bowers has maintained he would possible assist Trump if he clinched the Republican nod for president in 2024. He's hoping to hop from the state Home to the state Senate and conceded it would take a "miracle" for him to win that race.