Arizona Reps. Andy Biggs And Paul Gosar Implicated By Activist In Capitol Insurrection

Rep. Paul Gosar walks to his car after speaking at the Arizona Republican Party state meeting at Dream City Church in Mesa, Ariz. on Jan. 23, 2021. (Photo: Meg Potter/The Republic)

Some of Rep. Paul Gosar's siblings are wading deeper into an effort to oust their brother from Congress by putting pressure on the dental associations who have been his most significant financial supporters. 

On Tuesday, three of his nine siblings appeared in a video for a Democratically aligned group painting Gosar, R-Ariz., as an extremist who helped incite the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol that killed five people, including one police officer, and wounded 140 other officers.

Now the Gosar siblings, who live outside Arizona and unsuccessfully have urged the state's 4th Congressional District voters to reject their brother in the 2018 and 2020 elections, are targeting the organizations that gave him at least $50,000 in the past two years, according to Federal Election Commission records.

The groups and their members have given the former dentist's campaign or his affiliated political action committee more than $224,000 over his six terms, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Follow Arizona politics? Our reporters stay on top of it all. Subscribe now to azcentral.com.

In their latest effort, the siblings describe Gosar as "my extremely dishonest brother who lied about the election being stolen" and who "was key to inciting the traitorous riot at the Capitol." They note that the American Dental Association members and political action committee are top donors over his career.

"It's time to let them know we don't want money supporting insurrection," Jennifer Gosar says in the video.

Paul Gosar has benefited from the financial support of at least four dental-related organizations: the ADA PAC, American Association of Orthodontists PAC, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry PAC and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons PAC.

In an interview with The Republic, Jennifer Gosar said the ADA's PAC supported Gosar when he backed Senate Bill 1070, Arizona's immigration-enforcement law and through his many controversies.

"They've been his principal supporter. I think it's really important for them to face public attention about it because Paul doesn't exist in a vacuum," she said. "What is their point with that? ... I think it's really high time that the public knows about that."

Representatives for the ADA and two  other groups did not immediately respond to The Arizona Republic's request for comment. Gosar's chief of staff also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

A spokesperson for the American Association of Orthodontists provided The Republic with "a message on PAC activity" from the association's president, Chris Roberts, that was sent to members after the Jan. 6 riot. 

Roberts' statement did not directly reference Gosar. It denounced the "actions of the violent mob" at the Capitol and said it was imperative to remain engaged in the political process. The PAC has advocated on behalf of members to influence business tax reform, the elimination of the medical tax device, and health insurance policies, his message said. 

"Given the recent events, we are asking our PAC to examine our giving guidelines to ensure our funding is aligned with our legislative agenda and is in keeping with the democratic process," Roberts' statement said. "Please be assured that your PAC contributions are only spent after careful forethought. Now is not the time to disengage from the political system."

FacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedInPro-Trump rioters gather at US Capitol> Fullscreen

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.