This story was produced by the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at coloradosun.com.
Democrats in the Colorado House of Representatives on Tuesday will debate a resolution condemning the actions of a former lawmaker who resigned abruptly last week in an apparent attempt to avoid a more serious reprimand.
The resolution, introduced late Monday, condemns former Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud, for taking a picture of a Democratic colleague last legislative session without her knowledge or permission.
Armagost shared the photo of Democratic Rep. Yara Zokaie of Fort Collins in a group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal in April where fellow Republicans piled on with crude comments about her appearance. It was then circulated on social media, leading to harassment and threats.
The resolution is a more subdued punishment than Democrats had planned.
On Thursday, the first day of the special legislative session to address a massive funding gap in the state’s budget, Democrats in the House announced they would censure Armagost for his actions. Armagost resigned from the legislature later that day.
The legislature has not censured a lawmaker since 2008.
House rules allow for the censure of sitting members, but don’t offer a route for the chamber to censure former lawmakers. Nevertheless, the legislature has broad powers to bring resolutions like the one condemning Armagost.
The new resolution, which lawmakers are expected to vote on Tuesday, says Armagost “failed to uphold decorum of the House of Representatives,” and that his actions were “incompatible with the dignity of this body.”
It also calls on all members of the House to treat each other respectfully.
The resolution needs a simple majority to pass. Democrats have a big advantage in the House and will likely easily have enough votes to approve the measure.
Armagost has refused to answer reporters’ questions about the photo scandal. He has also not apologized.
In a social media post on Sunday, Armagost compared himself to an eagle fending off an attack from a crow.
“I will continue to be the patriot that flies above the nonsense for a greater good and serve at a higher level,” he wrote, alongside a picture of a crow biting an eagle and four emojis: “🦅 🇺🇸 🔫 👊”.
Armagost was already set to resign from the legislature Sept. 1. He said he was leaving to pursue a job and personal relationship in Arizona.
He never appeared at the Capitol for the special session and was marked excused Thursday before submitting a brief resignation letter.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Colorado Sun staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.
