A Democratic Arizona lawmaker asked the state House of Representatives Monday to expel Republican Rep. David Stringer after a newspaper reported that he was charged with sex offenses in 1983 in a case that was later expunged.
Republicans voted to pause the House session before lawmakers could vote on the expulsion request by Democratic Rep. Reginald Bolding. Bolding says the charges “were not disclosed” to the legislature or voters, calling the lack of transparency “unbecoming of a member of this institution.”
Stringer, of Prescott, came under fire twice last year for his comments about race and immigration.
In pushing to avoid an expulsion vote, Republican Rep. Warren Petersen said lawmakers shouldn’t rush to expel a colleague before learning his side of the story, noting a complaint had been filed with the House Ethics Committee.