After Four Days and Questions from Reporters, Kelly Finally Calls for the Lawmaker to Resign

Washington, D.C. – Last Thursday, Arizona State Senator Tony Navarrete was arrested on seven felony child sex abuse charges. While every Democrat in the Arizona legislature immediately called on Navarrete to resign, Senator Mark Kelly was curiously silent. After four days and a request for comment from the Washington Free Beacon, Kelly finally joined the chorus calling for Navarrete to resign.

But why did it take Mark Kelly four days and pressure from journalists to denounce an alleged child abuser? Because Tony Navarrete is one of Mark Kelly’s top allies in the Arizona legislature. Navarrete campaigned on behalf of Mark Kelly and even landed himself on Kelly’s “early endorsement list.”

Read more from the Washington Free Beacon about Mark Kelly’s political alliance with alleged child sex abuser Tony Navarrete:

Sen. Mark Kelly (D., Ariz.) on Monday called for the resignation of one of his top allies in the Arizona state legislature who was charged with seven child sex crimes. 

Maricopa County police arrested Democratic state senator Tony Navarrete on Thursday, charging the Phoenix lawmaker with seven felonies stemming from alleged child molestation. Navarrete backed Kelly’s Senate campaign just one month after its launch in February 2019, earning the Democrat a spot on Kelly’s “early endorsement list.” Kelly called on Navarrete to resign via Twitter after an inquiry from the Washington Free Beacon […] 

Kelly campaigned with Navarrete after touting his endorsement. In a now-deleted Facebook post, Navarrete congratulated Kelly on his November victory by sharing a post of the pair together during a 2020 Kelly campaign event […] 

Every Democratic member of the Arizona state legislature called on Navarrete to resign following his Thursday arrest.

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