LD-17 Politicians swept up into Cartel controversy
VIA SBINSIDER | March 2023
This past November, voters elected 3 new Republican members of the state legislature from LD-17. SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch are both in LD-17 which stretches South and West through Oro Valley and into Marana. Cory McGarr and Rachel Jones are House members and Justine Wadsack is the Senator. They are collectively known as the Freedom Team and have been very vocal and active on the issue of election integrity. In that role, Wadsack and Jones were on the dais during a February 23rd joint committee when Jacqueline Fine-Breger, astounded the panel with wild accusations of deep cartel links to dozens of elected officials in Arizona government ranging from Governor Katie Hobbs to judges in Pinal County. In her testimony, she charged that all these officials had received cartel drug money as payoffs via recorded trust deeds.
While Berger made these bat-crap accusations, both Wadsack and Jones sat at the panel as if immobilized by what they were hearing.
The 7 hour hearing finally ended when Rep. Ken Bennett (also accused) asked Berger who had invited her to speak. She replied that newly elected Rep. Liz Harris from LD 13, which covers the Chandler area of metro Phoenix. Harris is a Realtor who claims she holds with a Master’s Degree in Business from Lubin University.
Since the hearing took place the entire political edifice has hammered Harris for inviting Berger. From the Governor to both Republican leaders of the legislature she has been vilified and in response, Senator Wendy Rogers the committee chair, has issued a statement distancing herself and Harris has also admitted her mistake. The hearing made national news as Arizona has become a vortex of election controversy in that past 2 election cycles.
Republicans hold the slimmest of majorities in both Houses and with a 75% majority of Arizona voters polled responding that they believed the 2022 elections were accurate, this issue would seem to damage more than help the Republicans in future. Kari Lake has continued her quest to overturn the Governor’s race, by filing an appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court which is to consider the matter on March 23rd.
The Freedom Team will be meeting with taxpayers this Saturday:
Date: 4 March (Saturday)
Location: Oro Valley Public Library – 1305 W. Naranja Dr Oro Valley, AZ
Time: Doors open 10am
For more on this controversy click the links below :
