Jenna Ellis is a reminder that Arizona owes Rusty Bowers a hearty thank you

A tearful Jenna Ellis pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a felony for her role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

“As an attorney who is also a Christian, I take my responsibilities as a lawyer very seriously and I endeavor to be a person of sound, moral and ethical character in all of my dealings … ,” she told the judge, through her tears.

“I believe in and I value election integrity. If I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges. I look back on this full experience with deep remorse.”

And I look back on this full experience once again with a renewed appreciation for Arizona’s then-House speaker Rusty Bowers, a Christian who actually is a person of sound moral and ethic character.

Ellis also tried to undo Arizona's election

It was Bowers who stood up to Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Ellis and the rest of the Trump machine as they urged the Arizona Legislature to overturn the results of the 2020 election by installing fake electors to cast Arizona’s vote for the candidate who lost the election.

Ellis, who was part of Trump’s legal team, was there at the Hyatt Regency in Phoenix along with Rudi Giuliani on Nov. 30, 2020, for that bogus legislative hearing, there to persuade legislators to intervene in the election due to all the fraud she never was able to find.“We are asking you to step in to make sure that the corruption that occurred here does not stand,” Ellis told lawmakers who attended the unsanctioned hearing.

She was more specific on social media.

“The certification of Arizona’s FALSE results is unethical and knowingly participating in the corruption that has disenfranchised AZ voters,” she tweeted. “BUT, this in no way impacts the state legislature’s ability to take back the proper selection of delegates.”

Rusty Bowers wanted to see their evidence

An appalling number of Republican legislators were ready and willing but, fortunately, unable to do Trump’s bidding.That last part is in large part due Speaker Bowers.

He’s a staunch conservative who voted for Trump but refused to violate his oath of office and throw in with the scheme to steal Arizona’s election.

What's a Georgia lawyer know: About our fake electors? Let's ask

He met with Giuliani and Ellis, who assured him they had evidence of widespread voter fraud.

“I said, ‘I want the names. Do you have the names of the supposedly dead or fraudulent voters?’ ” Bowers would later recall. “She (Ellis) said, ‘Yes.’ ”

Of course, she didn’t and, eventually, Bowers said Giuliani conceded, “We’ve got lots of theories. We just don’t have the evidence.”

He balked his colleagues and lost his seat

That was apparently good enough for Reps. Andy Biggs, who urged Bowers to get on board with the fake elector scheme. And for Reps. Paul Gosar and Debbie Lesko, who along with Biggs voted to reject Arizona’s electoral votes for Biden.

It was good enough for the 11 Republicans, including now-Sens. Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern, who served as fake electors, certifying that they were “duly elected and qualified” to cast Arizona’s vote for the guy who didn’t win Arizona’s vote.

And it was good enough for 29 Republican lawmakers who signed a letter asking then-Vice President Mike Pence and Congress to accept the 11 “alternate” electoral votes for Trump or “to have all electoral votes nullified completely until a full forensic audit can be conducted.”

Fortunately, one good legislator in the right position can counter 29 weak or morally bankrupt ones.

Bowers refused to give into the Team Trump or to the collective psychosis that infected a depressingly large percentage of the Arizona Legislature and most Republicans in our congressional delegation.

It cost him his House seat, as his Mesa legislative district ousted him in a favor of a guy who said he believed the devil stole the election from Trump.

Ellis was convicted, but Bowers walks tall

Ellis, who pleaded guilty on Tuesday to aiding and abetting false statements and writings, is the fourth of Trump’s allies to admit to crimes in the Georgia election interference case.

She’ll walk in shame but, alas, not into prison. She got a deal that allows her probation as long as she testifies against her fellow co-conspirators.

“What I did not do, but should have done was to make sure that the facts the other lawyers alleged to be true were in fact true,” she told the judge.

And Bowers?

He continues to walk tall.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRoberts.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Jenna Ellis is a reminder that Arizona owes Rusty Bowers thanks