Kari Lake Responds to Defamation Lawsuit Filed by Top Arizona Elections Official

A top election official in Maricopa County, Arizona, filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against GOP candidate Kari Lake, who responded by accusing him of trying to censor her.

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer claimed he’s faced “violent vitriol and other dire consequences” because of allegations made by Lake about the 2022 midterm elections. Following the election, Lake has filed several lawsuits with various Arizona state courts to claim that irregularities and errors that occurred during the midterms should make her the winner.

“Rather than accept political defeat, rather than get a new job, she has sought to undermine confidence in our elections and has mobilized millions of her followers against me,” Richer wrote in an op-ed published in The Arizona Republic.

After several lawsuits were struck down, Lake has asserted that Richer and other Maricopa County officials interfered in the election to prevent her from winning the gubernatorial race against Democrat Katie Hobbs, who was sworn in as governor in January.