In a recent revelation that has sent shockwaves through the Republican political sphere, former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who is currently vying for a seat in the U.
S. Senate, has shared more details about an alleged bribe attempt by a high-ranking Republican to dissuade her from pursuing a political career.
Lake, in a conversation with conservative commentator Glenn Beck, shed light on the circumstances that led her to make public an audio recording of her conversation with former Arizona GOP Chairman Jeff DeWit. DeWit, in the recording, purportedly claimed that "very powerful people" from the "east" had expressed their willingness to financially compensate Lake if she refrained from running for office for a period of two years.
Lake recalled the moment she listened to the audio while dining with her family, almost a year after the conversation with DeWit took place. She stated, "I was eating dinner with my husband, and my daughter was with us, and I happened to track it down, found it, and hit play while we were eating dinner and literally, as vivid as I recalled it and I think in my speech at CPAC I described it pretty well our jaws dropped to the floor. We were shocked. I said oh my gosh, this is so much worse than I even remembered it."
The Daily Mail, which obtained the audio recording of the March 2023 conversation between DeWit and Lake, reported that DeWit can be heard attempting to persuade Lake to accept money in exchange for her political inactivity for two years. DeWit is heard saying, "There are very powerful people who want to keep you out."
The audio recording, as reported by DailyMail.com, reveals the extraordinary moment when Jeff DeWit, then chair of the Arizona Republican Party, allegedly tried to bribe Kari Lake, a close ally of Donald Trump and a prominent figure in the former president's MAGA movement, to refrain from participating in the state's Senate race. DeWit is heard telling Lake, "There are very powerful people who want to keep you out."
DeWit, in the recording, also suggests to Lake that he believes Trump will lose and that it is time for someone else to step forward. He then makes his first offer, saying, So the ask I got today from back east was: Is there any companies out there or something that could just put her on the payroll to keep her out? Lake, however, appears to reject the proposal.
Following the release of the audio, DeWit resigned from his position as the Arizona Republican Party Chair, alleging that the recording had been selectively edited. In his resignation statement, DeWit admitted to the conversation with Lake but claimed that the released recording was "selectively edited" and "taken out of context." He further stated that Lake was his employee in his "private company" at the time of the conversation, and the release of the recording was "not just a betrayal of trust but also a violation of the fiduciary responsibilities of an employee."
This incident has offered the public a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes workings of American politics, revealing the interactions between politicians, political operatives, and others when they are not in the public eye. For many, this episode seems to be yet another attempt by the establishment to curb the rising influence of the populist MAGA movement within the GOP.
The audio recording suggests that the back east individuals were keen on sidelining Lake, a leading voice in MAGA circles, while former President Donald Trump is seeking the GOP presidential nomination. This incident marks the latest high-profile development in the ongoing power struggle between the establishment and anti-establishment factions within the party. It raises a critical question that all Republican voters should be asking: How much more of this is happening behind closed doors?
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