Lawyers say AZ GOP leader provided false testimony after threat to 'lynch' county recorder

A Republican leader who said she would kill Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer may now face trouble in an ongoing court case over her comments.

In a video posted by Richer to social media , Shelby Busch, the first vice chair of the Maricopa County Republican Committee and chairwoman of conservative group We The People Arizona Alliance, is seen speaking at an event in Mesa on March 20. She told the audience that if Richer walked into the room, she would "lynch him."

She contrasted Richer, who is Jewish and a Republican, against a man in the audience who she says is a "good Christian man that believes what we believe." She said she could find "unity" with someone who agrees to "run a good Christian foundation campaign."

"But if Stephen Richer walked in this room, I would lynch him," Busch said. "I don't unify with people who don't believe in the principles we believe in and the American cause that founded this country."

Her comments drew condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix and the Log Cabin Republicans of Arizona , among others.

This isn't healthy," Richer said on social media. "And it's not responsible. And we shouldn't want it as part of the Republican Party."

She's since walked back her remark, calling it "a joke" and saying she "would never condone violence against anyone."

But county attorneys said in court documents filed Wednesday that her comment raises doubt about the accuracy of her testimony in court on June 12 , when she said under oath that she was not aware of any threats against county election workers.

During her testimony, she also stated she doesn't condone threats against county employees and that she has received threats and harassing messages herself.

County attorneys asked Judge Scott Blaney to note the false statement while "weighing the veracity of all her other testimony."

"The Maricopa County defendants do not seek to offer Ms. Busch’s threat in the video... to prove that Ms. Busch intended to murder Recorder Richer," attorneys wrote in court documents. "Rather, they seek to offer it only to impeach her testimony that she had not seen any evidence of threats against election workers."

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, a Republican, told The Arizona Republic her office filed the motion "because every person who testifies in court has a legal obligation to be truthful."

"Further, I take all statements of a threatening nature very seriously," she said.

Comments are latest controversy in case

Busch's remarks are a new twist in the ongoing lawsuit, which challenges the county's policy of redacting names of election workers while responding to public records requests.

County election officials say the measure aims to protect low-level employees from threats in an increasingly volatile political environment and is justified under an exemption to public records law known as "best interest of the state."

But We The People Arizona Alliance, an organization that has long spread voting conspiracies, says the policy interferes with its ability to verify elections are being administered properly and investigate perceived abnormalities.

Days after Busch, Richer and others appeared in court to testify in the case, county attorneys filed a notice alleging lawyer Bryan Blehm was suspended by the Arizona State Bar while representing We The People Arizona Alliance amid the lengthy and emotional evidentiary hearing and trial.

Taylor Tasler, a spokesperson for the state bar, said Blehm had since been reinstated to the association. But the incident could impact what happens next in the case.

Blaney, the judge, took the case under advisement last week. That means a ruling should be coming soon. But he has yet to respond to the county's letter notifying the court of the issue, or attorney's notice about Busch's comments.

Tasler said Monday that the state bar did not have any complaints regarding Blehm practicing law while suspended.

Blehm was also recently issued a 60-day suspension by the state bar for lying while representing Republican Kari Lake in a lawsuit that sought to overturn the results of the 2022 election. He will be temporarily barred from practicing law starting July 7.

Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com . Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka . Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps . Sign up for her weekly election newsletter, Republic Recount .

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Lawyers say AZ GOP leader provided false testimony after threat to 'lynch' county recorder