Arizona Official Emotionally Testifies About Standing Up To Trump

Russell Rusty Bowers, the Republican speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, repeatedly paused in an apparent effort to compose himself during his testimony Tuesday, as he described the consequences of refusing to violate his oath of office by declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Trump and his lawyers were central to the intense pressure campaign on Bowers once it had become apparent that Joe Biden had won several key states, including Arizona. In the last weeks of his presidency, Trump leaned on a number of state officials, trying to convince them to state publicly that election fraud had invalidated Bidens win, but they refused. Bowers was among them, as he testified at the fourth public hearing held by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

There was no no evidence being presented of any strength ... anything that would say to me, You have a doubt. Deny your oath. I will not do that, Bowers said of Trumps fraud claims.

He said his belief in the Constitution, which he called divinely inspired, is a tenet of his faith.

And so for me to do that, because somebody just asked me to, is foreign to my very being, Bowers said. I will not do it.

Bowers gets emotional when discussing efforts to overturn the election: \"It is a tenet of my faith that the constitution divinely inspire my most basic foundational beliefs. And so for me to do that because somebody just asked me to is foreign to my very being. I will not do it.\" pic.twitter.com/NKGKvgKALJ

Norah O'Donnell (@NorahODonnell) June 21, 2022","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Norah O'Donnell ","author_url":"https://twitter.com/NorahODonnell","cache_age":86400,"description":"Bowers gets emotional when discussing efforts to overturn the election: \"It is a tenet of my faith that the constitution divinely inspire my most basic foundational beliefs. And so for me to do that because somebody just asked me to is foreign to my very being. I will not do it.\" pic.twitter.com/NKGKvgKALJ Norah O'Donnell (@NorahODonnell) June 21, 2022\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":1080,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/amplify_video_thumb/1539303285911347200/img/PQCI7b1WDHFM-BaC.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1920,"title":"Norah O'Donnell on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/NorahODonnell/status/1539303448570695681","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"62b20290e4b06169ca9ebe49","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/rusty-bowers-arizona-trump-jan-6_n_62b20290e4b06169ca9ebe49","entryTagsList":"donald-trump,rudy-giuliani,arizona,jan-6-committee,rusty-bowers","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":"politics-news","sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"https://img.connatix.com/88397aaf-e780-449b-ba13-3853b0361319/1_th.jpg?crop=480:270,smart&width=480&height=270&format=jpeg&quality=60&fit=crop","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":2},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"62b20290e4b06169ca9ebe49","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Donald Trump","slug":"donald-trump","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/donald-trump","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/donald-trump","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/donald-trump"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Donald Trump","slug":"donald-trump","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/donald-trump"},{"name":"Rudy Giuliani","slug":"rudy-giuliani","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/rudy-giuliani","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/rudy-giuliani","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/rudy-giuliani"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Rudy Giuliani","slug":"rudy-giuliani","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/rudy-giuliani"},{"name":"Arizona","slug":"arizona","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/arizona","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/arizona","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/arizona"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"U.S. News","slug":"us-news"},"topic":{"title":"Arizona","slug":"arizona","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/arizona"},{"name":"jan 6 committee","slug":"jan-6-committee","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/jan-6-committee","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/jan-6-committee","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/jan-6-committee"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/jan-6-committee"},{"name":"rusty bowers","slug":"rusty-bowers","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/rusty-bowers","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/rusty-bowers","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/rusty-bowers"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/rusty-bowers"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}">

Bowers gets emotional when discussing efforts to overturn the election: "It is a tenet of my faith that the constitution divinely inspire my most basic foundational beliefs. And so for me to do that because somebody just asked me to is foreign to my very being. I will not do it." pic.twitter.com/NKGKvgKALJ
Norah O'Donnell (@NorahODonnell) June 21, 2022

Trumps team argued many times in court that various forms of election fraud had taken place in 2020. The courts, however, repeatedly ruled against him, determining there was no such evidence.

Bowers described conversations with Trumps team where he asked if he could see the evidence that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani claimed to have. Giuliani said he would produce it, but he never did, Bowers testified.

The Arizona lawmaker also pushed back on an effort by Trumps allies to convince him to hold a vote to decertify the states slate of electors, in order for a pro-Trump slate of electors to take their place.

Bowers said that John Eastman, a lawyer for Trump, told him: Just do it and let the courts sort it out.

Bowers recounted his response: Youre asking me to do something thats never been done in the history of the United States.

At another point, Bowers read a short excerpt from his personal journal that was written in late 2020, at the request of committee member Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).

I do not want to be a winner by cheating. I will not play with laws I swore allegiance to, Bowers read. He explained how his office received more than 20,000 emails and tens of thousands of voicemails and texts from Trump supporters at the time.

The circus, as he referred to the election aftermath, even showed up on his doorstep. Bowers testified that Trump supporters came to his home, upsetting his chronically ill daughter. (She died several weeks later .)

At home ... it is the new pattern in our lives to worry what will happen on Saturdays, because we have various groups come by, Bowers testified. They have had video panel trucks with video of me, proclaiming me to be a pedophile and a pervert, a corrupt politician.

So it was disturbing, he said. It was disturbing.

Shortly before the hearing began, Trump released a statement disparaging Bowers, calling him the latest [Republican in name only] to play along with the Unselect Committee his nickname for the House panel. Trump claimed that Bowers told him in November 2020 that the election was rigged and that Trump had won Arizona.

He concluded with an apparent threat: Bowers should hope theres not a tape of the conversation.

Under oath, Bowers hit back. He said that while he did have a conversation with the president, that certainly isnt it.

Anywhere, anyone, any time has said that I said that the election was rigged, that would not be true, Bowers testified.

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

The House committee investigating the Capitol attack is expected to hold another hearing Thursday as it continues its inquiry.