Surveillance Footage Reveals Democrat State Representative Hiding Bibles from View at Arizona Capitol

Neil Jones

New surveillance footage at the Arizona State Capitol, first covered by AZ Family, shows State Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D-Flagstaff), an ordained minister, taking two Bibles placed around the House’s member-only lounge and hiding them out of view.

“It’s bizarre and juvenile for an elected public official, an ordained minister nonetheless, to act in this manner. Such actions are disrespectful to the Bible and people of faith, and to the institution of the House and its members,” said House Majority Caucus spokesman Andrew Wilder in a statement emailed to The Arizona Sun Times.

According to Wilder, the situation began in March, when staff members of the House noticed the Bibles in the lounge room, which have been on display for decades, had gone missing. The House member lounge has limited access for only House members and senior staff. After noticing the Bibles were gone, security staff conducted a deep search of the lounge, eventually finding the books stashed underneath the cushions of two chairs. However, one of the Bibles disappeared again on March 29th, later found inside a refrigerator in a nearby kitchen.

After the second incident, Wilder told The Sun Times that the House Chief of staff authorized the placement of a temporary security camera inside the lounge to find the culprit. The lounge did not previously have any cameras, and the new one did its job, as Stahl Hamilton was seen removing the Bibles for a third time on April 10th.

AZ Family reporter David Caltabiano has reportedly attempted to speak with Stahl Hamilton multiple times on the issue but to no avail. Tuesday, he shared a video confronting the lawmaker at the House, but she quickly walked away without answering any questions.

However, the lawmaker eventually provided a statement to AZ Family, stating that her actions were “playful.”

“Just a little playful commentary on the separation of church and state. I am a Presbyterian minister so I obviously don’t have a problem with the Bible,” Sthal Hamilton said.

Caltabiano then spoke with State House Speaker Pro-Tempore Travis Grantham (R-Gilbert) about recent incidents. Grantham stated he had no idea why she would do this, but he also said her response did not justify her actions.

“No not at all, the state motto is God enriches. I don’t quite understand the issue of having a Bible available for members to read,” Grantham told Caltabiano. Additionally, Sthal Hamilton reportedly never made any complaint or request to have the Bibles officially removed from the lounge.

Since the report began to spread, several Republican House members commented on Twitter. Some responded with outrage, like State Representative Teresa Martinez (R-Casa Grande), who claimed Stahl Hamilton disrespected the Bible, and State Representative Justin Heap (R-Mesa), who called it “the weirdest story at the Capitol.” Other Representatives replied with surprise, like State Representative T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge), who said he was “flabbergasted” by the whole ordeal.

Moreover, Wilder told The Sun Times that there had been no complaints against the lawmaker as of writing, but he said that could change in the future.

The Sun Times contacted the House Minority Caucus for a response but did not hear back before press time.

Wilder also shared a tweet she made in 2020 with The Sun Times, which stated that she got into politics because she was “so angered” by seeing Bibles on desks at the Arizona House.

According to her website, Stahl Hamilton received her Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary.

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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “Hiding Bibles” by AZFamily.

 

 

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