Infuriating reason Arizona GOP senator got off with driving her Tesla at 71mph in a 35mph - and her excuse is NOT available to regular people

An Arizona GOP senator caught driving at double the speed limit was allowed to go on her way because she is protected by 'legislative immunity'.

Justine Wadsack was risking 30 days in jail when she was pulled over for doing 71mph in a 35mph zone of downtown Tucson by an officer on DUI patrol.

When she introduced herself as 'Senator Justine Wadsack', he radioed bosses who told him an arcane state law protects senators from prosecution while the state legislature is in session.

But she is blaming 'political persecution' and threatening to investigate the police themselves after they tried to serve a citation when the session came to an end.

'Persecution and prosecution are very different things,' said Tucson city attorney Mike Rankin.

Police bodycam footage obtained by the Tucson Sentinel caught the moment Wadsack was intercepted in her red Tesla Model S 85 at 10pm on March 15.

The officer introduces himself and asks her whether she has her driver's license, registration and insurance.

'Yes, I do,' she replies. 'My name is Senator Justine Wadsack, and I'm racing to get home because I have four miles left on my charger before I'm about to go down.

'OK, well, Speedway is a 35mph zone,' he informs her, 'and you were going over 70.'

'I was not doing 70,' she tells him.

'Yes, you were. I was behind you; I had my radar on,' he says.

The audio cuts out as the officer returns to his patrol vehicle and consults with colleagues before allowing Wadsack to drive off into the night.

Three months later the state assembly adjourned, and on June 27, an officer called Wadsack's office to arrange a time for her to sign a criminal speeding citation.

'The chain-of-command was aware of this traffic stop and subsequent pending criminal citation for Sen Wadsack after the legislative session adjourned,' Lieutenant Lauren Pettey wrote.

'She demanded to speak with the chief of police and said that she was under 'political persecution'.

'She also said that I was being aggressive and got upset when I called her Mrs Wadsack and not Senator Wadsack.

'She then abruptly ended the conversation and hung up the phone.'

Wadsack, a former real estate agent, turned to Facebook on Saturday with a furious denunciation of the police, her political opponents, and 'media spin'.

'The officer knew I was a State Senator before he even pulled me over, as there is a plaque under my license plate that says 'Arizona State Senator',' she wrote.

'There's also a sticker on the back of my drivers license that identifies the Constitutuonal language (sic), stating that I cannot receive a ticket as a result of 'Legislative Privilege'.

'So, I don't have to say a word. They already know. This debunks the narrative that I am entitled ir above the law. I FOLLOWED the law.'

She denied driving at 71mph, claimed Tucson PD only tried to cite her after she began an investigation into police harassment, and said she had consulted a legal expert.

'This is highly irregular, and when I asked if they've ever done this to other legislators, her response was 'no… just you',' she wrote.

Driving at more than 20mph over the speed limit is a class 3 misdemeanor in Arizona, punishable by up to 30 days in jail, a year of probation, a $500 fine, and three points on a drivers license.

Tucson Police Department spokesman Sergeant Richard Gradillas told AZfamily that the case was still active and that a summons was filed on June 17 at Tucson City Court.

On Tuesday the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police withdrew their endorsement of the senator who was elected for the Legislative District 17 in 2022.

'To be clear, Wadsack was treated in strict accordance with the law — and with consummate respect — by all the TPD team members she encountered,' the group said in a statement.

The Democrat city attorney denied that the action against Wadsack was politically motivated.

'Persecution refers to the act of punishing or hurting someone based on their beliefs,' he told the Sentinel.

'Prosecution refers to the act of bringing a legal action to hold someone accountable for their violation of law.

'Citing someone - Ms Wadsack or anyone else - for putting other people in danger by driving at speeds more than 20 miles per hour above the posted speed limit within city limits is not 'persecution'. It is prosecution.'

Former Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier said the senator had 'turned a nothing story into a fiasco'.

'You did the crime, take your ticket, shut up and move on,' the former Republican sheriff noted.

Attorney Tom Ryan said legislative immunity is designed to prevent arrests interfering with lawmakers' ability to vote in the state assembly.

'As long as it's not a felony, or a breach of peace, or an act of treason--nobody in the state of Arizona may arrest or serve any kind of civil process upon a city legislator as long as they're in session or 15 days before the next session,' he explained.

And even motoring experts have been left baffled by the senator's behavior.

'That doesn't make any sense at all,' said former senior Tesla engineer Michael Ahern.

'There's no car that gets more efficient as you floor it,' electric or gas, he added.