Arizona official resigning after secret recording released

A recording that emerged of a Republican elected Arizona official criticizing his GOP colleagues for opposing a partisan review of the 2020 election result in Maricopa County led him to announce his resignation just days before the state Senate’s review is set for release.

During the meeting recorded surreptitiously last March, Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Chucri suggested two fellow Republican county supervisors opposed the review by Senate Republicans because they nearly lost their own 2020 races.

Chucri apologized in a statement announcing his resignation late Tuesday and said he shouldn’t have made the comments, adding “the political landscape has changed for the worst this year.”

“The environment is wrought with toxicity — and all civility and decorum no longer seem to have a place,” Chucri said. “The fixation with the 2020 election results and aftermath have gotten out of control.”