Arizona Republicans are obsessed with groomers but OK with accused gropers

It is not often that a 2-year-old story about a man accused of groping women at a nightclub gets a lot of attention in the local media.

The only reason for such a thing to happen would be if the alleged groper was affiliated with a person or an organization of some renown.

Yes. And yes.

The Arizona Republic’s Ryan Randazzo produced a lengthy article about how Boris Epshteyn — a special adviser to Donald Trump who worked with Arizona Republicans in an attempt to overturn the state’s 2020 election results — was accused of groping women at the Bottled Blonde nightclub in Scottsdale in October 2021.

Republicans are silent on Epshteyn

Not only that, but Epshteyn also is suspected of being “Co-Conspirator 6” in the most recent federal indictment of Trump, which undoubtedly will cause the high intensity spotlight of the news to continue illuminating this particular dark corner of Epshteyn’s past.

Back in 2021, a woman who described Epshteyn as a “fatter Tony Soprano” told Scottsdale police about a creepy guy “touching her chest, touching her hips, touching her crotch.”

Epshteyn was at first charged with “assault touching,” “attempted sexual abuse” and more, but those charges were later dropped and he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and served probation.

The conviction was set aside in January.

From what I’ve seen in the days since the news broke, the Arizona Republican Party, with whom Epshteyn worked so closely following the election, has said absolutely … nothing.

But they are fixated on LGBTQ issues

This is the same party that has fixated on gay and trans people, making unfounded accusations of grooming about them and anyone who treats them with dignity.

Look at what happened during the last legislative session. Republicans pushed bills aimed at the LGBTQ community ranging from bathroom restrictions to book banning.

There was no evidence of a problem. No police body cam video, unlike the seedy stuff taped outside that Scottsdale nightclub.

Is he 'Co-Conspirator 6'? What to know about Boris Epshteyn

There were, however, idiotic proposals in the Legislature like a ban on public school employees and contractors from using a student’s preferred name or pronouns unless a parent has given permission.

And several other bills aimed at demeaning and restricting things like drag performances.

They serve the former groper in chief

The vitriol was cheap political theater aimed at stirring the Republican base into a frenzy over “groomers” and generating contributions for the GOP, all under the guise of defending morality.

However, when information surfaced about a Republican operative arrested in a groping incident there is nothing.

Silence.

For alleged groomers — even with no evidence of a problem — there is pseudo outrage.

For an alleged groper, dead air.

I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised.

After all, Epshteyn and his cohorts in the Arizona Republican Party attempted to steal the election and give it to a man who was recorded saying of the women he meets, “I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the … .”

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Boris Epshteyn, accused of groping, gets a pass from Arizona GOP