Despite getting the boot from his leadership position by Senate GOPers earlier this week for last month's freeway fracas with former gal-pal Aubry Ballard, former state Senate Majority Leader Scott Bundgaard apparently still has some friends on the Senate Ethics Committee.
The committee voted 3-2 along party lines today to dismiss a complaint filed against Bundgaard regarding the alleged February 25, domestic violence incident.
However, a new complaint could be filed with the committee depending on the outcome of the criminal investigation into the incident.
According to the Arizona Republic, Republicans decided to dismiss the complaint because it failed to comply with Senate rules.
From the Republic:
Gould said the complaint, filed by Sen. Leah Landrum Taylor, failed to comply with Senate rules, in part because she did not have "personal knowledge" of the altercation. In addition, state law gives immunity from prosecution to witnesses who testify before the committee, and the domestic-violence allegations could not be properly investigated without calling witnesses, he said.The details of the incident are still pretty fuzzy. Bundgaard claims Ballard pulled out a gun following a scuffle -- a claim that didn't sit well with many of his GOP colleagues, who weren't buying the story, despite him promising "new evidence" that would corroborate it.
Senate Republicans, sources say, told Bundgaard that if Ballard pulled a gun, her fingerprints would be on it. That said, the only "new evidence" Bundgaard's produced so far are the results of a lie-detector test, which he passed.
There was no mention of a gun in the initial police report filed about the incident, although, supplemental reports are forthcoming.
