Arizona Democrat violated House rules by hiding Bibles, committee says

PHOENIX - A Democratic Arizona lawmaker violated House rules when she removed Bibles from a Capitol lounge and hid them.

In a report released on June 9, the Arizona House Ethics Committee concluded Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton of Tucson displayed "disrespectful" and "disorderly" behavior.

Video surfaced of Hamilton in April showing her removing Bibles from the House member's lounge. She hid them under couch cushions and also in a refrigerator.

The committee’s report said Bibles in the lounge were hidden on three occasions in March and April and that video footage showed Stahl Hamilton hiding the books in one instance. A camera was installed to try to find the person responsible.

Committee says Arizona Democrat violated rules by hiding Bibles

A Democratic Arizona lawmaker violated House rules when she removed Bibles from a Capitol lounge and hid them, the Arizona House Ethics Committee concluded.

In late April, after footage of Stahl Hamilton hiding the Bibles aired on a TV news report, she acknowledged doing so, saying she didn’t intend to offend anyone and that her actions were a playful commentary.

The legislator apologized for her actions and said her intent was to highlight the separation of church and state.

"I acknowledge that a conversation about the separation of church and state should have began with a conversation, and for that, I apologize," she said at the time.

Stahl Hamilton was accused in an ethics complaint of showing a lack of respect for other lawmakers and possibly causing offense to Christians who regard the Bible as a sacred text.