Republican state representative David Stringer resigned last month after records revealed disgusting comments he made recently about sex trafficking, and following accusations that he was charged with sex offenses in the 1980s.
Former GOP Arizona State Rep: 'I Don't Like To Demonize' Child Sex Trafficking
Credit: AZ Central
April 6, 2019

Law enforcement should be investigating this man, not just the Arizona House of Representatives ethics committee.

This report from AZ Central is beyond disturbing: David Stringer on child sex trafficking, 'I don't like to demonize it'

Former Arizona Rep. David Stringer made disturbing comments about child sex trafficking and his interactions with children within the past few years, two Prescott women told ethics investigators.

Those statements are included in new records the state House of Representatives released Wednesday from its ethics investigation into complaints against Stringer, who resigned last week over accusations that he raped children in the 1980s.

Among the new records are notes about a conversation Stringer had with an activist during a 2018 Republican Women of Prescott meeting, where he disputed that child sex trafficking is a problem.

According to investigators' notes of the exchange, Stringer and Merissa Hamilton, an activist who works to protect child victims of trafficking, were seated next to each other watching a speech from a Border Patrol agent at the event.

Their discussion can be overheard in a video, which Hamilton recorded as she live-streamed the event on Facebook.

In the video, Stringer and Hamilton discuss what issue he should ask the speaker about, and she suggests Stringer ask about child trafficking.

He responds by saying that he doesn't think sex trafficking is a concern and said, "I don't like to demonize it."

Stringer also said while he doesn't think there is much child sex trafficking there are "a lot of 15-year-old prostitutes." He laughed after making that comment. The 1980s charges included accusations that Stringer paid for sex with one child who was 15 for part of the time.

The authorities should be interviewing every child this man has ever come into contact with.

Ashton Pittman summarized the report on Twitter:

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