Arizona State House of Representatives.
House security photos reveal Bibles concealed inside a refrigerator and tucked beneath a cushion. A covert camera captures footage of Representative Staphanie Stahl Hamilton surreptitiously stashing the Bibles away from the House frame.
Stephanie Stahl, the Representative from Arizona, violated the House Ethics Committee’s rules by hiding a Bible as a prank, a decision that was unanimously concluded on camera.
Stahl Hamilton, a Democrat from Tucson, took Bibles from the end tables in the lounge of the Arizona House members and, on one occasion, from a refrigerator nearby. He then concealed them under cushions.
Hamilton Stahl should be held accountable for engaging in unruly conduct, which violates House Rule 1. The decision of whether or not to address this matter rests with the entire 60-member House of Representatives at present.
The House will resume its session on Monday after a four-week break.
It is unlikely that the Democrats in the House, who hold a narrow one-vote majority over the Republicans, will be able to secure a two-thirds majority to vote for expulsion. However, there are a range of possible punishments, including censure.
In a written response to the ethics committee and also during her apology delivered on the House floor in April, an ordained Presbyterian minister has described her actions as a playful commentary on the separation of state and church, and a protest against the weaponization of politics in religion.
The ethics committee released a seven-page report on Friday, casting doubt on the sincerity of Hamilton Stahl’s characterization of her actions as a joke and apology.
Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services.Output: Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services.
On April 26, 2023, Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton expresses remorse to her House peers for rearranging and concealing the copies of the Holy Bible in the lounge designated for the members.
“Numerous individuals on this committee do not perceive this as a joke,” the report declared.
The report concluded that members who choose to exercise their religious beliefs by referring to biblical texts are deprived of the opportunity to do so by hiding Bibles in Hamilton Stahl.
The committee additionally mentioned that the “wrongdoing and absence of reverence” Stahl Hamilton displayed towards the Bible were not limited solely to the Bible.
The report mentioned, “If the Book of Qur’an or any other religious text had been present, her actions would have been considered disrespectful and offensive in equal measure.”
However, the Bible is the sole religious scripture accessible in the members lounge.
Stahl Hamilton could not be contacted right away for a statement.
The House Democratic leadership accepted the report and its conclusions, but they also emphasized their acceptance of Stahl Hamilton’s previous apologies regarding the issue.
“The leadership declared that every action is accountable. “We will not engage in any further divisive political opportunism or rhetoric inspired by that incident.”