Arizona GOP Senate Candidate Kari Lake Won’t Defend Herself In Defamation Case For Making False Statements About Election That Lead To Death Threats

Attorneys representing Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake will not contest the defamation case filed against her.

The lawsuit, initiated by Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer last year, accuses Lake defamed him after her defeat in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial race, where she refused to concede and made allegations of election fraud.

The lawsuit alleges that Lake engaged in a systematic campaign to spread falsehoods about Richer’s actions as recorder, which led to harassment and numerous threats to his life. Among the unfounded claims made by Lake were accusations that Richer tampered with ballot boxes, injected 300,000 invalid votes and deliberately obfuscated the voting process.

In a recent court filing, Lake’s legal team did not contest the allegations put forth by Richer and instead requested an expedited hearing to determine the appropriate damages.

Richer viewed this development as an admission of guilt. In response, Lake dismissed the filing as a refusal to engage in what she characterized as a “political witch hunt.” She adamantly refused to accept any responsibility and asserted that this legal action was merely an attempt to halt her progress and drain her resources.

In a video message, Lake defiantly stated, “Washington, D.C. operates on blackmail and bribes. Since they can’t blackmail or bribe me, they’ve resorted to filing a punishing lawsuit to try to stop me and bleed me dry… They’re threatening to take everything I own. What they don’t realize is even if they leave me, my husband and children homeless and penniless, that won’t stop us.”

Lake will face Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona).

She portrayed her decision not to participate in the lawsuit as a refusal to legitimize what she views as a perversion of the legal system. She argued that involvement in the case would open the door for malicious actors to interfere in the upcoming election.

The race between Lake and Gallego is being closely watched as it is considered a crucial battleground for both parties in their quest to gain control of the Senate. While early polls show Gallego with a slight advantage, the outcome remains uncertain.

Lake made headlines last month by attending a fundraiser with QAnon supporters.