A former Arizona representative who became the first state lawmaker expelled for sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement swept the nation has filed a $1.3 million claim Monday against the House speaker and Gov. Doug Ducey's chief of staff.
The claim filed Monday by former Rep. Don Shooter says he was targeted by the governor's office because of his efforts to expose widespread fraud in the state procurement system. The claim also says House Speaker J.D. Mesnard changed House rules and policies on harassment to remove Shooter from his committee chair post and ultimately to force a Feb. 1 expulsion vote.
Ducey's office called Shooter's filings "desperate claims by a disgraced, ousted lawmaker" and said they are untrue. Mesnard says he's hadn't read the claim and couldn't immediately comment.
