PHOENIX – The daughter of a powerful lobbyist is speaking out against the tactics used by the Arizona House Ethics Committee, headed by Rep. John Allen, against Rep. David Cook. Cook is the subject of what has been described as a “witch hunt” for an alleged affair with AnnaMarie Knorr, daughter of Bas Aja.
Aja, a long-time friend of House Speaker Rusty Bowers and power broker, is the primary subject of a letter released today by Ms. Knorr. In her letter, Ms. Knorr reveals the hardships she has endured due to what she says are false claims of adultery made by her father.
Knorr, who writes that she is 8 ½ months sober, accuses her father continuing to “try to actually thwart my recovery.”
The Ethics Committee at the direction of Bowers began an investigation into allegations that Knorr and Cook were having an affair. Both vehemently deny the allegation, and Cook’s wife Diane has aggressively defended her husband and Knorr, who is a long-time family friend.
Knorr accuses her father of possibly committing perjury, but it is the second possibility that is catching the eyes of the Capitol observers:
In the legal proceedings for my pending divorce, in verified court pleadings, it was established that my estranged husband took the letters from my personal belongings, made copies, and gave them only to Mr. Aja. Mr. Aja claimed that he did not give the letters to the media. Rather, he stated under oath that he only gave them to Speaker Rusty Bowers and his Chief of Staff Michael Hunter. Unlike the hearsay collected by your investigators, this testimony was given under penalty of perjury, which raises two distinct but equally important possibilities:
Either, 1. Mr. Aja is a liar who has perjured himself. He did send an unknown quantity of anonymous packages containing copies of the stolen letters to various members of the news media in an effort to ruin Representative Cook and inflict maximum damage on my personal and professional reputation.
Or 2. Mr. Aja is actually telling the truth for once. He gave the stolen letters to Bowers/Hunter which were then sent in anonymous packages to various members of the news media in an effort to ruin Representative Cook and inflict maximum damage on my personal and professional reputation.
Rep. Kelly Townsend, who has repeatedly questioned both the process and tactics employed by Bowers and Allen, issued a statement bringing attention to the family tragedy at the core of the controversy.
“Sunday is Father’s Day, but I can’t fathom what it would be like to have your own father seeking to destroy your life and reputation,” stated Townsend.
“Nevertheless, I cannot turn away from the statement, under oath, that the letters were not given by Mr. Bas Aja to the media,” continued Townsend. “It has generated more questions for me than answers. Did the Ethics Committee make an inquiry into who leaked this to the press? Do they know that it was testified under oath by her father that it was not him, and do they understand how that potentially discredits his testimony?”
“I can’t even imagine the reaction that lawmakers, especially Republican lawmakers, are going to have if they find out that the Speaker’s Office leaked the letters to the press, created this mess, and then played dumb while managing the Ethics Committee.,” said one Capitol railbird. “You can’t do that to one of your own members and expect your other members to be okay with it.”
“It would seem to me that whomever it was would have to explain the motive for why we had to go through all of this and spend taxpayer money to do it,” said Townsend referring to the costly investigation into what appears to be a family squabble. “I would also like an explanation as to why Rep. Cook was not afforded the opportunity to defend himself.”
“I think it is time there is an investigation into how those letters made their way to a reporter,” said Townsend referring to a writer at the Yellow Sheet, a gossip tabloid. “Was it Bas Aja, or was it the Speaker’s office? Perhaps it is time for an independent group to come in and do an audit and investigation. I don’t think Mr. Cook and Anna Marie got a fair shake. This needs to change for the sake of future legislators, for the sake of the taxpayer, and for the dignity of the institution as a whole.
Knorr’s letter in its entirety:
June 18, 2020
To the Members of the House Ethics Committee:
Over the last 9 months I have experienced some tremendous highs and lows. Yet even with so many memorable lows to deal with, what I witnessed last Friday at the House Ethics Committee stands out to me in a great many ways. I am dismayed that having sat through a lengthy interview, in which I spoke plainly and honestly, and having written a lengthy declaration putting what I know to be true in writing, I still ended up reading a work of near-fiction that purported to be conclusive work performed by professional investigators hired by lawyers who were hired by the House Ethics Committee. I find it remarkable that I am compelled to write you again.
My entire life for the last 9 months has been on public display for the sake of a political vendetta turned circus. While I am not ashamed of the rehabilitation treatment, I received last year, it was never intended to be a news story, and no one should have to endure a process such as this because of it. That is just one reason we have HIPAA privacy laws. Yet I find myself once again in the public eye because I will not just stand by and allow the persecution of a good man and his reputation because he doesn’t do the bidding of those who think themselves in charge.
Let me set the record straight once again. There was false testimony presented to the investigative team that they did not fact check or corroborate. My recovery was not in any way harmed by Representative Cook and his wife, Diana. I have been sober 8 1/2 months, as witnessed by many, and the Cook’s support has been instrumental in my recovery during this critical time.
To fit their narrative, the investigators dismissed my description of my recovery in favor of Mr. Aja’s description, even though Mr. Aja was not present for it and continues to try to actually thwart my recovery. Mr. Aja claimed that I admitted to an affair with Representative Cook during my intervention. That was false, and my own testimony refuted Mr. Aja’s assertion, yet once again the investigators accepted the version that advanced the narrative requested of them and made sure they did not interview anyone else that could possibly contradict it. Remarkably, the motivations of Mr. Aja to create this trouble and to lie to investigators received virtually no attention from the investigators. This occurred in spite of ample evidence of malice and spite.
The Ethics Committee is eager to NOT learn of any new information or evidence, to the point of prohibiting Representative Cook from presenting it. I will share one tidbit with you all the same.
In the legal proceedings for my pending divorce, in verified court pleadings, it was established that my estranged husband took the letters from my personal belongings, made copies, and gave them only to Mr. Aja. Mr. Aja claimed that he did not give the letters to the media. Rather, he stated under oath that he only gave them to Speaker Rusty Bowers and his Chief of Staff Michael Hunter. Unlike the hearsay collected by your investigators, this testimony was given under penalty of perjury, which raises two distinct but equally important possibilities:
Either, 1. Mr. Aja is a liar who has perjured himself. He did send an unknown quantity of anonymous packages containing copies of the stolen letters to various members of the news media in an effort to ruin Representative Cook and inflict maximum damage on my personal and professional reputation.
Or 2. Mr. Aja is actually telling the truth for once. He gave the stolen letters to Bowers/Hunter which were then sent in anonymous packages to various members of the news media in an effort to ruin Representative Cook and inflict maximum damage on my personal and professional reputation.It pains me that one of these is true. However, this is why it is so important that you understand why Representative Cook is not allowed to call his own witnesses, not allowed to cross-examine old witnesses, not allowed to face and question his accusers, and not allowed to introduce evidence. Should Option 1 be true, then the entire investigative report relies on the word of a perjurer. And as bad as that might sound to you, we all understand that it is far preferable for you as legislators compared to Option 2, which calls into question — not the motivations of one liar trying to settle a grudge — but the leadership of this House, and all of their subsequent actions, appointments, and remarks throughout this process.
I, and my personal legal team, look forward to finding out who is responsible. In the meantime, I can only tell you that my life as I knew it is completely destroyed for the sake of a vendetta that one or both of these men has against Representative Cook.
I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and I have no interest in martyring myself as a victim. But I will not simply stand by and allow this to continue without objection. There are too many people at the Capitol who refuse to stand up to bullies and political threats because they fear the price of the inevitable retribution. I used to be one of those people.
What a hidden blessing it is to know that surviving an assassin’s bullet can actually free you from fear itself. The nightmare of the last nine months has given me a new strength to stand up for what is right, regardless of the cost. Now it is time for this Committee to do the same, throw this garbage out, and apologize for what has been done to an exceptional man, his family, and their name and reputation.
Sincerely,
AnnaMarie Knorr