Kari Lake is about to discover that spewing nonsense conspiracy theories comes at a cost.
Lake ran to be Governor of Arizona in 2022. She failed, losing to Democratic rival Katie Hobbs by approximately 87,000 votes. Despite this, Lake has consistently insisted the election was rigged. She has launched legal bids to overturn the result. To date, these have all failed due to her inability to come up with evidence.
Yesterday, Lake suffered another defeat. Or rather, her attorneys conceded she didn’t have a winnable case.
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Lake was embroiled in a defamation case launched by an electoral worker: Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer.
Richer says Lake consistently lied about Richer’s actions as recorder. She claimed, with zero evidence, that he stuffed ballot boxes with 300,000 invalid votes during the 2022 count.
Richer says that as a result of Lake’s comments, he’s received death threats and harassment.
Yesterday, Lake’s attorneys moved to forfeit her defense in the case. They do not contest Richer’s claims. In short, they want the case to proceed to a decision on what level of damages would be appropriate for Richer.
Lake gives up trying to defend herself
Unsurprisingly, Richer took to X to celebrate this victory.
“Won’t defend / can’t defend,” he said, sharing news of the legal development. “I’ll get my due. But not the millions of people she lied to. Not the thousands of people who donated ‘to continue the fight.’ Not the people who have gone to jail because they so strongly believed Kari’s lies. Those people won’t get their due.”
Won't defend / can't defend.
I'll get my due.
But not the millions of people she lied to. Not the thousands of people who donated "to continue the fight." Not the people who have gone to jail because they so strongly believed Kari's lies.
— Stephen Richer—MaricopaCountyRecorder (prsnl acct) (@stephen_richer) March 26, 2024
How did Lake respond? Did she offer an apology?
She did not. Instead, she posted a video explaining why she refused to defend her comments. She suggested that to do so would lend “credibility” to Mr Richer and anyone else out to get her.
“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,” she said in a video message.
“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.
“By participating in this lawsuit, it would only serve to legitimize this perversion of our legal system and allow bad actors to interfere in our upcoming election,” she continued, straight-faced. “So I won’t be taking part.”
The political elite will do anything to hold onto power and STOP outsiders like me– they’ve resorted to filing a ludicrous defamation lawsuit to try to stop me and bleed me dry.
She went on to compare herself to Donald Trump, saying both were “targets of the weaponized legal/court system called Lawfare. Our political opponents will stop at nothing to destroy us.”
She then took direct aim at Richer in a follow-up tweet (and although we’re not lawyers, we imagine that ain’t the smartest move while a decision is still to be made on damages).
“Maricopa County election Official @StephenRicher says I ‘surrendered.’ That’s a lie. I didn’t surrender, I simply cut-to-the-chase,” explained Lake.
“Stephen, how much money will you ask for at the damages hearing? Tell us. How many zeroes? The people of Arizona, who often work too hard for too little just to provide for their families, deserve to know. We deserve answers to all these questions. Will you answer them?”
We suspect Lake will discover the answer to her last question soon enough.
Online, some people seemed skeptical of Lake’s explanation.
Wow, Kari. You really showed THEM! By throwing in the towel and begging a jury to quickly determine how much you have to cough up in damages, you DESTROYED the other side's credibility. Bwahaha.
But she’s already putting out videos saying she didn’t actually lie about Richer but decided to say she did so not to give credibility to plaintiff (which makes no sense at all, but whatever, she is still lying). That should be exhibit 1 in the penalty phase of this trial.
As recently as last August, Lake suggested Richer was “evil”. She said she would not stop fighting “because the truth is on our side.”
In August, Kari Lake implied Stephen Richer, who sued Lake for defamation, is “evil” and “there’s not a damn thing you can do to me to make me stop fighting this because the truth is on our side.”
Despite her legitimate loss in 2022, Lake is running again this year to replace outgoing, Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema. She’s up against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, who has a slight lead in the polls.
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Her BS rhetoric is equivalent to yelling fire in a crowded theater. There has to be limits I. How much BS a person can spew.
Our democracy depends on people acting in good faith not whiny little bitches who lost.
I’m no legal eagle but can’t Richer sue her again for calling him out on twitter for the damages and still inferring he stuffed ballot boxes? Just drawing some parallels here to the Trump Carroll case I feel.
She went on to compare herself to Donald Trump, saying both were “targets of the weaponized legal/court system called Lawfare. Our political opponents will stop at nothing to destroy us.”
Lawfare. OK. I’m all for it if it’s aim is to protect our country from corrupt, lying con artists like these two.
Here we go again. Just like every single conservative on the planet, Lake just can’t stop herself from lying, constantly and about everything. It really is too bad that we can’t drop every single conservative on the planet into the middle of shark infested waters from which none of them can escape. The world would be a better place.
She’s saved a lot of legal fees by “not participating”, and when the judgment comes through, she will declare bankruptcy to avoid paying that judgement.
I’m not familiar with Arizona bankruptcy law, but in many states assets like the family home, automobiles, and retirement savings can be protected from seizure in bankruptcy proceedings.
She wouldn’t be the first one to abuse the bankruptcy system to avoid paying a large judgment. And not unlike Eric’s father, I anticipate she’ll be telling us she is declaring bankruptcy to save the country.
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Mister P
Her BS rhetoric is equivalent to yelling fire in a crowded theater. There has to be limits I. How much BS a person can spew.
Our democracy depends on people acting in good faith not whiny little bitches who lost.
ZzBomb
I’m no legal eagle but can’t Richer sue her again for calling him out on twitter for the damages and still inferring he stuffed ballot boxes? Just drawing some parallels here to the Trump Carroll case I feel.
abfab
Somebody put a wall in front of her so she will hit it.
abfab
She actually said the truth is on our side?
Bonerboy
A “slight” lead? I had heard he was really outdistancing her in the polls…
bachy
She went on to compare herself to Donald Trump, saying both were “targets of the weaponized legal/court system called Lawfare. Our political opponents will stop at nothing to destroy us.”
Lawfare. OK. I’m all for it if it’s aim is to protect our country from corrupt, lying con artists like these two.
abfab
Lawfare.
Wikipedia
Lawfare is the use of legal systems and institutions to damage or delegitimize an opponent, or to deter an individual’s usage of their legal rights.
Hold on gurl, all the damage in your petty little life is self-inflicted.
RoyM
Here we go again. Just like every single conservative on the planet, Lake just can’t stop herself from lying, constantly and about everything. It really is too bad that we can’t drop every single conservative on the planet into the middle of shark infested waters from which none of them can escape. The world would be a better place.
abfab
A huge flying saucer with a hoover vacuum attached. Just scoop and suck!
Dwight
Correction, she lost by approximately 17,000 votes, not 87,000 as stated in the article
Fahd
She’s saved a lot of legal fees by “not participating”, and when the judgment comes through, she will declare bankruptcy to avoid paying that judgement.
I’m not familiar with Arizona bankruptcy law, but in many states assets like the family home, automobiles, and retirement savings can be protected from seizure in bankruptcy proceedings.
She wouldn’t be the first one to abuse the bankruptcy system to avoid paying a large judgment. And not unlike Eric’s father, I anticipate she’ll be telling us she is declaring bankruptcy to save the country.
Matthewmatthew
She will be on the next medical show behind the scenes episode, “When STI Vaginas attack”
Invader7
Maybe Crazy Keri and her ilk will all die and spare America !!