(PatriotWise.com) — The Arizona state lawmaker, who was facing expulsion over threatening to kill a city official from Tolleson, resigned her seat on Wednesday after the House Ethics Committee concluded that she engaged in disorderly behavior, the Associated Press reported.
Democrat Leezah Sun, a first-term Phoenix lawmaker who was elected in 2022, resigned from the Arizona state House just hours before her colleagues were expected to vote on a motion to expel her from office.
Several Democrat colleagues filed an ethics complaint against Sun in 2023, accusing her of threatening to slap and kill a Tolleson city official during an August conference, attempting to interfere in a child custody dispute despite not being a party in the case, and threatening a school superintendent with a legislative investigation in December 2022.
In October, a Phoenix judge ordered Sun to stay away from three Tolleson city officials due to her “aggressive and threatening behavior.” During the duration of the order, Sun was not to receive, purchase, or possess a firearm.
Following its investigation into the complaint, the House Ethics Committee released its report concluding that Sun violated a House rule that prohibits representatives from engaging in disorderly behavior.
Garrick McFadden, the attorney representing Rep. Sun, in a November letter to the Ethics Committee, denied the allegation that Sun threatened to throw Government Affairs Director Pilar Sinawi off of a balcony, arguing that Sinawi did not attend the conference where Sun allegedly made the threat.
McFadden maintained that Sun’s threat to slap Sinawi was not credible and suggested that the comment was Sun’s attempt at a joke. At the same time, McFadden admitted that Sun’s attempt to interfere in a child custody dispute was inappropriate.
In a statement following Sun’s resignation, House Democratic leaders said Sun’s actions had damaged the reputation of the House. They said that by resigning her seat, Sun did what was “best for our state” and “the integrity of this body.”
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is responsible for appointing Sun’s replacement. By law, the replacement appointed must be from the same party as the outgoing representative.
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