Arizona House Rep. Leezah Sun resigned on Wednesday moments before House members were scheduled to vote on her expulsion.
The first-term lawmaker from the West Valley’s Legislative District 22 departed following an ethics report that found she engaged in a pattern of threat-making and abuse of office.
It also followed an ethics complaint by Democratic leaders and two hearings, in December and January, as part of the House Ethics Committee investigation. In one of the report’s key findings, the five-member committee found that Sun told a group of lobbyists at a Tucson conference in August that if she saw a certain Tolleson official, “I will b—- slap her, throw her over the balcony and kill her.”
Leezah Sun, a Democrat, represents Legislative District 22 in the Arizona House.
Sun has steadfastly denied she uttered a death threat, claiming she said only that she would “b—-slap” the woman. But the committee didn’t believe her, siding instead with witnesses who testified on Jan. 25 that they heard Sun’s statement and didn’t believe she was joking.
The complaint accused Sun of: using foul language and intimidation tactics during a June meeting with officials at Tolleson’s city hall; sending Instagram friend requests to the officials’ family members; interfering with a custodial dispute; threatening a school superintendent with a legislative investigation and then retaliating against the superintendent by attending a board meeting Jan. 9 to complain about his testimony about her.
House members were beginning their floor session Wednesday when Democratic House spokesman Robbie Sherwood told news media Sun had resigned. A written briefing of the day’s events included information about a possible vote for Sun’s expulsion.
Sun wasn’t immediately available for comment.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rep. Leezah Sun resigns from Arizona Legislature