On Monday, April 15, 2024, President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope responded to an ethics complaint reportedly filed by Arizona Senate Democrats. The complaint has been characterized by Shope as a publicity stunt aimed at garnering campaign points.
"Shame on Arizona Senate Democrats for stooping so low in their desperate attempt to weaponize the Legislature's policies on ethics investigations," said Senator Shope. "Neither I, nor President Petersen, who wasn't even present in his chair at the time of the alleged offense, engaged in any sort of ethical violation by any stretch of the imagination."
Shope further stated that the actions taken by the Democrats are intended to cater to their campaign supporters and attract media attention. He described these actions as exploitative and politically motivated.
"These sick and twisted actions have led to nothing more than a spectacle at the Legislature on the taxpayers' dime, and only the citizens of Arizona stand to lose," Shope added. He emphasized that if Republicans adopted similar logic, they could file numerous ethics complaints against Senate Democrats for various reasons.
Shope also criticized Senate Democrats for allegedly attempting to hold the entire Senate body hostage with what he called an irresponsible motion. He noted that this occurred on a day when over 20 percent of Democrat members were absent from work.
"The people of this state elected us to report for duty on the floor and to solve issues important to them, not to waste time engaging in theatre and gamesmanship," Shope concluded. "I'm incredibly disappointed in the so-called leadership of Senate Democrats, but this is par for the course when those who've been elected to office have nothing more than selfish motivations driving their decisions."
For further information, contact:
Kim Quintero
Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus
kquintero@azleg.gov
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