Are you kidding me?
Since when do Arizona legislators have the right to exempt themselves from state public records laws by merely adopting a procedural rules change? As reported in yesterday’s Arizona Daily Star, this is precisely what Senate and House Republicans have just done despite vigorous opposition from Democratic colleagues. Circumventing the records law, emails sent or received by all lawmakers and staff will be destroyed after 90 days, and texts on Senate phones dealing with legislative business are prohibited from release. Had these rules been in effect for the 2020 General Election, would we have even been aware of Ginni Thomas’ efforts to replace President Biden’s electors with a false set of GOP electors, thus stealing Biden Arizona’s Electoral College votes?
Up until now, we thought deals cut in smoke-filled cloak rooms was the preferred method of denying voters of their right to know the truth. How long will the public continue to ignore the erosion of democratic values by autocratic GOP lawmakers?
Bryan Lane
Green Valley