Affiliation with militia group[edit]
Rogers first claimed to be a "charter member" of the
Oath Keepers, a
militia movement group, in 2018. During her 2020 run for the state Senate, she promoted her membership in the group, which promotes fringe
conspiracy theories and violent, extremist rhetoric, including talk of a
new civil war.
[12] In one fundraising appeal in her 2020 campaign, Rogers compared herself to
Kyle Rittenhouse.
[12][16]
Former aide's complaint[edit]
In January 2021, a former legislative aide to Rogers filed a complaint in the state Senate Ethics Committee against Rogers. The ex-staffer accused Rogers of abusive workplace conduct, including verbally abusing him and destroying his possessions in a tirade, repeatedly demanding that he work while on
sick leave with
COVID-19; demanding that he illegally perform campaign work on government time, and mocking his weight and appearance. In March 2021, the Ethics Committee dismissed the complaint against Rogers on a 3–2 party-line vote; the Republican majority said there was no "
clear and convincing evidence" of an ethics violation, while the Democratic minority disagreed.
[17] The former staffer subsequently filed a $500,000 notice of claim (a precursor to a lawsuit) against the state, alleging wrongful termination and harassment by Rogers.
[18]
Attempts to overturn outcome of 2020 presidential election[edit]
Further information:
Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election
Following the
2020 United States presidential election, in which President
Donald Trump was defeated by
Joe Biden, Rogers promoted the false claim that Trump had won the election nationally and
in Arizona.
[19] As Arizona's slate of
electors met in
Phoenix to formally cast the state's electoral votes for Biden, Rogers tweeted "Buy more ammo."
[20][21] Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs condemned Rogers' statement.
[21]
After a mob of Trump supporters
stormed the U.S. Capitol in January 2021 in a failed attempt to halt the
counting of the electoral votes and keep Trump in power, Rogers falsely claimed the attack had been conducted by
antifa groups.
[19][22] Rogers was one of a number of Republican state legislators in Arizona who either defended and excused the attempted insurrection, or spread disinformation about responsibility for the attack.
[22]
In February 2021, Rogers sponsored legislation seeking to rename a portion of
Arizona State Route 260 as the "Donald J. Trump Highway"; state Senator
Martin Quezada, a Democrat from Phoenix, described the proposal as "a desperate attempt to really pander to a base of voters even though the state of Arizona rejected Donald Trump."
[23]
In June 2021, Rogers appeared on the online TV network
TruNews to promote Arizona Republicans'
baseless "audit" into the 2020 presidential election results in
Maricopa County, Arizona. (The results had previously been repeatedly audited, with no irregularities found.) TruNews and its founder,
Rick Wiles, are known for promoting
antisemitism, including claims that "seditious Jews" plotted Trump's impeachment and that "the American people are being oppressed by Jewish tyrants." Rogers made the appearance on a show hosted by
white nationalist commentator
Lauren Witzke.
[24]