An Arizona lawmaker resigned Wednesday in light of an ethics investigation into sex charges from 1983 and comments on race and immigration, the Associated Press reports. Rep. David Stringer, a Republican lawmaker from Prescott, stepped down hours after he made an emergency request for a judge to block the Legislature from expelling him. He then withdrew that request as a hearing was scheduled to begin. “I’m grateful that the House will not be forced to take action against one of our members, and we can begin to put this matter behind us,” Republican House Speaker Rusty Bowers said in a statement announcing Stringer’s resignation. Stringer's resignation letter confirmed his departure as State Representative for Legislative District 1 effective at 4 p.m.—one hour before he was to hand over documents demanded by the House Ethics Committee. Stringer was under scrutiny over reports that he faced sex crimes charges decades ago that were later expunged. He also faced ethics complaints for allegedly saying that “there aren’t enough white kids to go around” in schools.
