Kari Lake Deletes Tweet Attacking Judge as County Officials File For Sanctions Against Failed GOP Candidate
Maricopa County filed a motion on Monday for sanctions against former Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. The motion was joined later on Monday by Arizona’s Governor-elect Katie Hobbs (D), who defeated Lake and is now seeking “attorney’s fees and expenses, requesting about $37,000 paid as a sanction,” according to local reports.
Monday’s legal battle in Arizona focuses on the fallout of Lake’s allegations that the 2022 gubernatorial election in the state, which Lake lost, was rigged. Lake has long parroted former President Donald Trump’s debunked claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and she had suggested that her election would be rigged even before votes were cast.
Adding additional drama to the unfolding story Monday, Lake deleted a tweet attacking Maricopa County Judge Peter Thompson. Lake tweeted, “The Dismissal of Kari Lake’s Election Lawsuit Shows Voter Disenfranchisement No Longer Matters @Rach_IC: ‘Legal experts believe his decision [by Judge Thompson] was ghostwritten, they suspect top left-wing attorneys like Marc Elias emailed him what to say.’”
Marc Elias noted on Twitter Lake deleted the accusation against the judge, writing, “A few days ago I asked what conspiracy theory Kari Lake would offer for why she lost her election contest lawsuit. It is more insane than even I predicted.”
https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1607382599005003778
Judge Thompson ruled on Dec. 24th in against Lake’s filing that the 2022 election had been tampered with. Local media reported that “Thompson found that the court did not have any clear evidence of widespread misconduct that could have impacted the results of the 2022 midterm election.”
“During a two-day trial, Lake’s team focused on ballot printer issues in Maricopa County, asking the judge to declare her governor or order a re-vote in the county,” added the report. Lake has vowed to appeal the ruling.
Reporter Justin Lum for Fox 10 in Phoenix tallied up the potential sanctions Lake and her associates may be on the hook for. “All told, between Hobbs and several lawyers for the County – Lake and her attorneys could face up to $700K in sanctions to cover total fees.”
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