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Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers asked former President Donald Trump and his attorneys for evidence of their claims that undocumented immigrants and dead people voted in the 2020 election.

But he was told by Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani, "We've got lots of theories, we just don't have the evidence."

What happened: Bowers testified Tuesday to the U.S. House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. 

In his 40 minutes as a witness, he provided somber, measured testimony about attempts by Trump and his allies to persuade him to decertify Arizona's electoral votes for Joe Biden and to replace them with Trump electors.

Trump and Giuliani alleged that there had been massive election fraud in Arizona, claiming that 200,000 undocumented immigrants and 5,000-6,000 dead people had cast ballots in the state.

Yes, but: Neither Trump nor anyone from his campaign ever provided any evidence of fraud, Bowers said. 

Why it matters: Had Bowers acquiesced to Trump's request, it could have created greater turmoil in an already volatile situation and created momentum for pro-Trump forces to make similar attempts in other swing states that Biden won. 

Bowers said Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs called him on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, and asked him to support the decertification of Arizona's Biden electors. 

During that call, Bowers said both Trump and Giuliani asked him to sanction an official legislative hearing where lawmakers could hear evidence and "take action" regarding the election, and to support a legal theory that the legislature could replace Arizona's Biden electors.

Bowers said he was unfamiliar with any state or federal law that would permit the electors to be replaced, and that to do so would violate his oath of office. 

He said he rejected the request to call an official legislative hearing because he "didn't want to be used as a pawn."  

Flashback: A group of Republican lawmakers ultimately held an unofficial hearing at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Phoenix on November 30, 2020, where Giuliani and others expounded on baseless claims that the election results were fraudulent. 

What he's saying: "It is a tenet of my faith that the [U.S.] Constitution is divinely inspired, of my most basic foundational beliefs. So for me to do that because somebody just asked me to is foreign to my very being. I will not do it," said Bowers, who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Driving the news: Before the House committee hearing began Tuesday, Trump issued a statement claiming that Bowers told him he'd expected to lose his re-election and would have been out of office without Trump's help, and acknowledged that the election was rigged and that Trump won Arizona.

Bowers told committee member Rep. Adam Schiff (D) that he did have a conversation with the president, but he never said the election was rigged.

Bowers' Mesa-based district is heavily Republican and he was at no risk to lose the general election in 2020.

Bowers confirmed to Axios that what he actually told Trump was that, by driving GOP turnout in the election, the president helped other Republicans win their legislative races.

Republicans narrowly retained control of both the state House of Representatives and Senate, with one-vote majorities in both chambers. 

Arizona was one of several contested states won by Biden where Trump electors still sent their votes to Congress in the hopes that they would be certified as their states' official electoral votes. 

Bowers' refusal to support the efforts to subvert Arizona's election results led protesters to regularly visit his home on weekends, he said. 

Some protesters would yell through loudspeakers, accuse him of being a pedophile, and argue with and threaten his neighbors. 

Between the lines: Bowers, who has become a target of supporters of false claims  that the election was rigged, is termed out of the state House and is running for the Senate. 

In the Republican primary, he faces former Sen. David Farnsworth, whom Stop the Steal advocates are backing.

Editor's note: The caption in this article has been corrected to note that Bowers testified on June 21, not July 21. 

This story has been corrected to show Rep. Adam Schiff is a committee member (not the committee chair). Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-MS, chairs the committee.

Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers recalls pressure to overturn Biden's win

Bowers testified Tuesday about pressure from Donald Trump's team to overturn Biden's win in Arizona.

Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers testifies to the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol

Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers testifies on June 21, 2022, to the House select committee on the Jan. 6 insurrection.  Screenshot from PBS livestream of hearing. 

Jan. 6 select committee

Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers asked former President Donald Trump and his attorneys for evidence of their claims that undocumented immigrants and dead people voted in the 2020 election.<ul><li>But he was told by Trump&#x27;s attorney Rudy Giuliani, &quot;We&#x27;ve got lots of theories, we just don&#x27;t have the evidence.&quot;</li></ul>

Politics

A state House committee approved a proposed $15.6 billion state budget Tuesday with just 10 days left to avert a government shutdown.

But it got held up in the Senate amid Republican infighting over other legislation. 

The intrigue: Senate Appropriations Chairman David Gowan scuttled plans to hear the proposal in his committee, indicating that he was putting the budget bills on hold because the House Rules Committee hadn't yet allowed unrelated legislation to reach the floor, the Arizona Mirror reported.

The big picture: It's uncertain whether the proposal has enough support to reach Gov. Doug Ducey's desk, regardless of whether it gets out of both committees.

In the House Appropriations Committee there was both bipartisan support and opposition, with one Republican going against the budget and one Democrat supporting it.

Some Republicans are opposed on the grounds that it spends too much.

GOP Rep. Jake Hoffman said in the appropriations committee, "The reality is that this budget does not reflect the priorities of the majority… It certainly does not reflect the platform the majority proposes to stand for," the Arizona Capitol Times reported. 

Republican Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita voiced her opposition on Twitter on Monday, writing that it isn't fiscally responsible and arguing, "You cannot spend your way out of a looming recession."

On the Democratic side, Rep. César Chávez backed the plan in committee, saying, "We don't have anything to work with, and in the matter of working on something that will benefit the state of Arizona and the people of Arizona, as my responsibility as a lawmaker, I vote aye," according to the Capitol Times.

Yes, but: House Democratic leader Reginald Bolding called the budget plan "deeply flawed" and said it needs to use more of the state's $5 billion surplus on education, preventing gun violence and solving Arizona's housing crisis.

If Ducey and Republican legislative leaders can't cobble together majorities for the proposed package, the fallback plan is the "skinny budget" that mostly just continues spending from the current fiscal year. 

However, the House Appropriations Committee rejected the skinny budget. 

Senate President Karen Fann told the Capitol Times that lawmakers will have to approve the skinny budget by Friday if they can't pass the new plan. 

A budget must be in place by the time the next fiscal year begins on July 1 in order to avert a government shutdown.

Arizona budget makes progress, but major hurdles remain

A state House committee approved a proposed $15.6 billion state budget Tuesday

Illustration of the Arizona State Capitol with lines radiating from it.

Legislation

A state House committee approved a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="proposed $15.6 billion state budget" data-vars-click-url="https://www.azjlbc.gov/budget/h-splanasintroduced062022.pdf" data-vars-content-id="aeb272b6-f618-45bc-abe1-9b1224bf9e73" data-vars-headline="Arizona budget makes progress, but major hurdles remain" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.azjlbc.gov/budget/h-splanasintroduced062022.pdf" target="_blank">proposed $15.6 billion state budget</a> Tuesday with just 10 days left to avert a government shutdown.<ul><li>But it got held up in the Senate amid Republican infighting over other legislation. </li></ul>

About 400,000 Arizona children under 5 years old are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine after the CDC gave the green light earlier this week. 

By the numbers: Arizona health care providers have ordered about 41,000 vaccine doses for the newly eligible group through the state's health department. 

Retail pharmacies have ordered another 28,000, the department announced last week. 

Yes, but: Finding a shot is proving to be complicated for some parents who are eager to vaccinate their children.

Online state and federal databases don't yet show full information about where Arizona's youngest children can get vaccinated.

The state still hasn't updated its search tool to show the new vaccine availability.

The federal vaccine search tool shows fewer than 10 locations within 30 miles of central Phoenix. 

Details: Arizona Department of Health Services spokesperson Steve Elliott told Axios that parents' first stop should be their pediatricians. If they don't have doses for kids under 5, they'll have a recommendation for where else to look, he said.

Elliott also recommended checking in with your county health department and with Walgreens.

ADHS is working on a section on its website that will have comprehensive information on where to find vaccines for children under 5.

Meanwhile, pharmacies have different age limits despite the new CDC guidance, Axios' Kelly Tyko reports. 

CVS will vaccinate children 18 months and older where vaccine appointments are available.

Walgreens will begin taking appointments for children 3 and older as early as Saturday.

Costco says its pharmacies will vaccinate children 3 and up but appointments are not yet available to book online at Valley locations.

Walmart has appointments available at Valley stores as early as Thursday for children 3 and up.

The One Community Initiative Against COVID-19, a coalition of local leaders that has worked to provide fair and equitable access to testing and vaccines, is now turning its attention to vaccinating young kids. 

The group will bring childhood vaccine events directly to underserved neighborhoods in the coming weeks, Tomás León, president of the Equality Health Foundation, told Axios.

What he's saying: "Whether you speak English or Spanish we want you to know where to go and how to access the vaccine events we’re doing in the neighborhoods," León said.

Where to get COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5 in metro Phoenix

About 400,000 Arizona children under 5 years old are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Illustration of a bandaid made out of lego blocks.

COVID-19 vaccines

About 400,000 Arizona children under 5 years old are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine after the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="CDC gave the green light" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/18/cdc-committee-recommends-covid-vaccine-moderna-pfizer-kids" data-vars-content-id="c8c53113-af18-44ec-9ad2-3a8207296b5e" data-vars-headline="Where to get COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5 in metro Phoenix" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/18/cdc-committee-recommends-covid-vaccine-moderna-pfizer-kids" target="_self">CDC gave the green light</a> earlier this week. By the numbers: Arizona health care providers have ordered about 41,000 vaccine doses for the newly eligible group through the state&#x27;s health department.

News

Arizona Wildcats star Bennedict Mathurin is bound for Indianapolis after the Pacers took him with the sixth pick in the NBA draft Thursday. 

Between the lines: With his athleticism and jump shot, Mathurin could have a quick impact on a Pacers squad that's looking to bounce back from a down season in which they missed the playoffs after posting a 25-57 record. 

Mathurin joins a Pacers team that includes Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Myles Turner. 

Mathurin is the highest draft pick — and first lottery pick — to come out of the University of Arizona since the Phoenix Suns took Deandre Ayton with the top pick in 2018.

There are already two former Wildcats on Indiana's roster: T.J. McConnell and Gabe York.

1 touching thing: Mathurin had a necklace with him at the draft with the word "Domixworld" as a tribute to his older brother, Dominique, who died in 2014 after being hit by a car, the Arizona Daily Star wrote. 

"My brother is everything for me," Mathurin told ESPN after the Pacers drafted him. "He's the reason why I wake up every morning. ... And me wanting to be the best."

1 surprising thing: Wildcats shooting guard Dalen Terry went to the Chicago Bulls with the 18th pick, which was higher than just about any mock draft put him — including Axios' mock draft, which had him going 29th to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Dalen Terry celebrates during an NCAA tournament game. 

Dalen Terry was drafted No. 18 by the Chicago Bulls. Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

1 more surprising thing: Arizona big man Christian Koloko was projected in mock drafts to go in the middle of the second round, but the Toronto Raptors took him with the third pick of the second round. 

Our thought bubble: As a U of A alumnus, it's my duty to point out that with the conclusion of this year's draft, there are now >>>12<<< former Wildcats in the NBA.

In addition to this year's draftees, Mathurin's new Indiana teammates and Ayton, Arizona boasts NBA players Aaron Gordon (Nuggets), Josh Green (Mavericks), Andre Iguodala (Warriors), Stanley Johnson (Lakers), Zeke Nnaji (Nuggets) and Brandon Williams (Trailblazers).

U of A's Mathurin drafted sixth by Pacers, Terry 18th by Bulls

Mathurin could have a quick impact on a Pacers squad that's looking to bounce back from a down season.

NBA commissioner shaking hands with a player during the draft.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver (left) and U of A's Bennedict Mathurin on draft night. Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

National Basketball Association (NBA)

Arizona Wildcats star Bennedict Mathurin is bound for Indianapolis after the Pacers took him with the sixth pick in the NBA draft Thursday. Between the lines: With his athleticism and jump shot, Mathurin could have a quick impact on a Pacers squad that&#x27;s looking to bounce back from a down season in which they missed the playoffs after posting a 25-57 record.

Sports

The 2022 NBA Draft is Thursday at 5pm PT and as many as three players from Arizona schools could be on their way to the pros next season.

The big picture: Just about every mock draft in the country has Arizona Wildcats star Bennedict Mathurin as a top lottery pick. The Axios mock draft is no different, with the Detroit Pistons selecting the sophomore guard with the fifth pick. 

Mathurin was the driving force behind the Cats' unexpectedly stellar first season under new head coach Tommy Lloyd. He led the team with 17.7 points per game, along with 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

Anyone who watched Mathurin's 30-point performance that saved Arizona from a second-round upset to TCU in the NCAA tournament, which included one of the best dunks of March Madness, knows what he's capable of.

Meanwhile: He likely won't be the only Wildcat to get selected. The Axios mock draft projects 6-foot-7-inch sophomore swingman Dalen Terry going to the Memphis Grizzlies as the penultimate pick in the first round. 

Other mock drafts have Terry going a little higher: NBAdraft.net has him going 27th to the Miami Heat, The Athletic predicts the 76ers will take him with the 23rd pick, while CBS Sports and Yahoo! Sports bumped him up to the 20th pick, sending him to the San Antonio Spurs. 

Terry averaged 8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

What we're watching: Arizona center Christian Koloko isn't getting as much love as the other two, with several mock drafts projecting the junior bigman, who averaged 12.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, to go in the middle of the second round. 

Our thought bubble: As a proud University of Arizona alumnus, I watched most of the team's games this year and was stunned by Mathurin's development from his freshman season. I think he's going to shine in the NBA.

I'm crossing my fingers for Koloko. I predicted big things for him when he was a talented but unpolished freshman, and this is the year he reached that potential.

What we're not watching: The Phoenix Suns. The team doesn't have any picks this year, so barring a draft-day trade, it will be an uneventful day for them.

The Suns gave up their first-round pick this year to Oklahoma City as part of the trade that brought Chris Paul to Phoenix, while Indiana got their second-round pick in the midseason trade for Torrey Craig.

NBA Draft: A trio of Arizona Wildcats are on the radar

Just about every mock draft in the country has Arizona Wildcats star Bennedict Mathurin as a top lottery pick.

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2022 NBA Draft" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nba.com/draft/2022" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2022" target="_blank">2022 NBA Draft</a> is Thursday at 5pm PT and as many as three players from Arizona schools could be on their way to the pros next season.The big picture: Just about every mock draft in the country has Arizona Wildcats star Bennedict Mathurin as a top lottery pick. The Axios mock draft is no different, with the Detroit Pistons selecting the sophomore guard with the fifth pick.

Jeremy Duda

Featured stories

U of A's Mathurin drafted sixth by Pacers, Terry 18th by Bulls

Where to get COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5 in metro Phoenix

NBA Draft: A trio of Arizona Wildcats are on the radar

Arizona budget makes progress, but major hurdles remain

Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers recalls pressure to overturn Biden's win