Arizona lawmaker and conspiracy theorist expelled after accusing rivals of taking money from Mexican drug cartels

A Republican election denier has been expelled from the GOP-controlled Arizona House of Representatives for inviting a conspiracy theorist to testify before lawmakers.

State Rep Liz Harris, who was only elected in November, was kicked out for bringing “disrepute and embarrassment to the House of Representatives.”

A bipartisan two-thirds majority of the House voted to remove her, with only 13 opposing her expulsion. She is only the fifth member of the Arizona House to be expelled.

Ms Harris, who represents the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, has pushed false claims about the 2020 and 2022 elections.

Her expulsion came a day after the House Ethics Committee released a report which concluded that she knew or was at least aware that a woman she arranged to testify would falsely claim that Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs and other elected officials and judges took bribes from the Sinaloa drug cartel.

Jacqueline Breger, an insurance agent from Gilbert, Arizona, testified that the officials had also laundered money, and claimed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “controls” the government.

Ms Breger presented no evidence for her false claims, which were widely condemned.

“This is not personal. This is about standing up for the right, no matter how difficult it is and how much it hurts,” Rep David Livingston said before voting to expel his colleague.

House Democratic leader Andrés Cano, of Tucson, called it a “sad and sombre day,” but said that Ms Harris had caused “real and lasting damage to the reputations of people who did not deserve it.”

Arizona law states that Ms Harris must be replaced by a Republican, with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors set to choose from a list of three candidates nominated by the GOP in her district.