Arizona GOP censures Rusty Bowers after Jan. 6 testimony

By JONATHAN J. COOPER
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Republican Party has censured state House Speaker Rusty Bowers after his gripping public testimony before the Jan. 6 House committee about Donald Trump’s relentless pressure to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The censure Tuesday night came hours after Trump reiterated his support for Bowers’ opponent in his GOP primary for state Senate. The censure is largely symbolic, but it’s illustrative of the iron grip that Trump continues to have over the Republican Party. The Arizona Republican Party previously censured Gov. Doug Ducey, Cindy McCain and former Sen. Jeff Flake. The censure does not specifically mention Bowers’ testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee but characterizes him as hostile to the GOP platform.