Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers says Trump allies admitted no evidence of election fraud

PHOENIX — Republican Rep. Rusty Bowers testified Tuesday during a Jan. 6 House committee hearing that former President Donald Trump’s team admitted they did not have evidence of election fraud.

“I do not want to be a winner by cheating,” Bowers said. “I will not play with laws I swore allegiance to.”

Bowers said he was contacted several times by Trump, Rudy Giuliani and others in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack urging him to take action to retain Trump as president.

He noted one meeting where Giuliani told him, “We have a lot of theories we just don’t have the evidence.”

The Republican from Mesa said during the hearing he “didn’t want to be used as a pawn” in the scheme.

“You are asking me to do something that is counter to my oath when I swore to the Constitution to uphold it and I also swore to the Constitution and the laws of Arizona,” Bowers said.

“I would never do anything of such magnitude without deep consultation with qualified attorneys.”

Bowers detailed meetings and calls with several Trump allies. That included U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, who asked Bowers on Jan. 6 to support the decertification of the election results.

“I said I would not,” Bowers said.

Bowers, prior to the call from Biggs, had told Trump on multiple occasions he would not do anything illegal to help the former president.

Before Tuesday’s hearing, Trump released a statement in which he alleged Bowers told him the election was rigged and that he won Arizona.

Bowers denied the allegations.

He was one of five recipients in May to be honored with a John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, given to Bowers for standing up to Republican pressure to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona.

“It is painful to have friends who have been such a help to me turn on me with such rancor,” Bowers said.

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