An Arizona Democrat state lawmaker was caught red-handed hiding Bibles in a members-only lounge. Over the past few weeks, there have been several cases of Bibles going missing and being found in obscure places such as a refrigerator and under couch cushions. This led to security temporarily placing hidden cameras to catch the suspect. After reviewing footage, the suspect was named as a self-described Presbyterian preacher, Rep. Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton. Reporters questioned Hamilton, and in response, she said her mischievous actions were “a little playful commentary on the separation of church and state.” Republican Speaker Pro-Tempore Travis Grantham lashed out at Hamilton, saying her actions were a malicious, orchestrated attack against the state’s values, contrary to the state’s motto, “God Enriches.”
FOX NEWS: Arizona state lawmaker caught red-handed on camera hiding Bibles in members-only lounge: watch
By Lee Ross & Greg Wehner; April 25, 2023
An Arizona state lawmaker was captured on video snatching a Bible off a table in the House’s members-only lounge before stashing it outside of camera view.
The Arizona House of Representatives was alerted about the mysterious disappearance of a pair of Holy Bibles on March 23, which are normally left on display in the House’s members-only lounge, according to a statehouse source.
The restricted area is located near the House Floor and is a place where members of the House can go if they need to take a call or meet with other representatives or senior staff members in between votes.
Guests are also allowed in the lounge, but they are required to be escorted while inside.
After being alerted to the Bible disappearances, gumshoes with the House security team started searching the lounge for the Bibles and found they had been placed underneath cushions of two chairs.
Nearly a week later, another Bible went missing from the lounge and was later discovered to have been moved and placed inside a refrigerator in a nearby kitchen.
As a result of the disappearing Bibles, the security team placed a temporary camera inside the lounge.
The statehouse source said security cameras are placed throughout many communal areas in the House building, though the lounge was not one of those areas.
On April 10, when House members were in session, a third incident occurred, this time with the pair of Bibles in the lounge once again going missing from their locations.
The security camera captured Rep. Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton, a Democrat and ordained Presbyterian minister, according to her bio, removing the books and hiding them under two sofas in the lounge.
Stahl-Hamilton and her team did not immediately respond to questions from Fox News Digital about the incident on Tuesday.
In a video posted to Twitter by a reporter with CBS 5 in Arizona, the reporter approached Stahl-Hamilton to ask her why she was hiding the Bibles. She declined to comment, and instead, walked away from the reporter.