WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Congressman Greg Stanton, Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, and Congresswoman-Elect Adelita Grijalva sent a letter urging the Arizona House of Representatives to take action to address the recent conduct of Arizona State Representative John Gillette.
Gillette has repeatedly used racist and inflammatory language and recently wrote that U.S. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) should be “tried, convicted, and hanged.”
“Such rhetoric not only reflects poorly on your institution but contributes directly to the worsening of America’s political climate, eroding democratic norms, endangering public servants, and diminishing the reputation of the State of Arizona and its people,” the members write. “As leaders of the Arizona House, you bear a higher responsibility as elected officials to hold your members to standards that safeguard the integrity of the institution you serve. How this matter is addressed will shape both public trust in the Arizona Legislature and the example it sets for civic discourse.”
The full letter, sent to House Speaker Steve Montenegro, Majority Leader Michael Carbone, and Minority Leader Oscar De Los Santos, is HERE and below.
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Dear Speaker Montenegro, Leader Carbone, and Leader De Los Santos:
We write as members of Arizona’s congressional delegation to urge you to address the recent conduct of Republican State Representative John Gillette, whose repeated rhetoric and inflammatory actions have crossed lines unacceptable for any elected official and reflect poorly on the Arizona House of Representatives, the State of Arizona, and its people.
Representative Gillette’s actions also fit into two broader, deeply troubling trends. He has repeatedly used racist and inflammatory language—writing to colleagues after Charlie Kirk’s death that “as the J**s did at Pearl [sic] Harbor, Radical Muslims on 9/11, your party has woken the sleeping giant,” referring to Muslims as “f*ing savages” and “terrorists from sh*t hole countries,” accusing Muslim communities of preparing for “jihad,” claiming they refuse to “properly assimilate,” and calling for them to be “sent back” to their countries of origin. This persistent vilification escalated most alarmingly on September 25, 2025, when, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) responding to an online video of our colleague, U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., speaking about the importance of non-violent protest, he wrote that she should be “tried, convicted and hanged.”
This progression—from slurs and scapegoating to explicit calls for execution—exemplifies a broader and dangerous trend of criminalizing or silencing speech through threats of violence. Efforts to intimidate or punish those exercising their First Amendment rights undermine the freedoms that sustain our democracy.
Such rhetoric not only reflects poorly on your institution but contributes directly to the worsening of America’s political climate, eroding democratic norms, endangering public servants, and diminishing the reputation of the State of Arizona and its people.
As leaders of the Arizona House, you bear a higher responsibility as elected officials to hold your members to standards that safeguard the integrity of the institution you serve. How this matter is addressed will shape both public trust in the Arizona Legislature and the example it sets for civic discourse.
We urge you to take up this matter in the most appropriate manner available to your office. Confronting this conduct directly is necessary not only to protect the credibility of the Arizona House of Representatives, but also to affirm that the people’s representatives are committed to upholding democratic principles and the rule of law.
We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your response.