Kari Lake demands election officials be "locked up"
3 Min Read
Lake will not be letting 'fraudulent election results' go anytime soon.
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Kari Lake on November 8, 2022. (The Republic)
Defeated Arizona Republican Kari Lake on Sunday called for Maricopa County election officials to be "locked up" in her latest move in her ongoing war to reject her opponent's certified victory in the election.
Lake was addressing a crowd of young conservatives at Turning Point USA's America Fest, where she discussed her election contest and continued to accuse Katie Hobbs' of fraudulent election results.
Read next: Twitter scandal exposes Arizona's Hobbs for 'election misinformation'
“These people are crooks, they need to be locked up,” Lake said of Maricopa County election officials.
Maricopa County has become an epicenter for allegations of voter disenfranchisement after Election Day vote centers experienced printer malfunctions.
Election officials acknowledged the issues and insisted affected voters could use one of multiple backup options.
On Sunday, Lake compared her challenge to the founding fathers fighting against British tyranny, saying Benjamin Franklin and the others have their blood "coursing through our veins," crying tyranny.
“They were fed up with tyrants, and they weren’t going to take it anymore,” Lake said. “I think we’re right there, right now, aren’t we?”
Hobbs, being fed up with the feud, demanded that Maricopa County dismiss Lake's election challenge, addressing a state judge.
Lake responded with a vow to deal with this in the Supreme Court: “We’ve seen judges dismiss cases, I don’t want you to get discouraged,” Lake told the crowd. “It could happen. We’re gonna kick this right up to the Supreme Court, and I will not stop fighting.”
Earlier this month, Lake filed a 70-page lawsuit, challenging the state's election results and is demanding a court order that would make her winner instead.
A famous election denier and Trump supporter, Lake refused to acknowledge the win by Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs, Arizona's secretary of state. Hobbs and Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer are cited as defendants in the case, as Lake claims their alleged misconduct “nullifies” the elections, adding that their actions “wrongfully” named her rival as the winner.
Hobbs' campaign: 'Lake needs attention like a fish needs water'
According to the lawsuit, ballot printer failures, which Lake believed were intentional, were the main reasons that led to “chaos” on Election Day with "oppressively long lines" that in turn affected voter turnout and deterred Republican voters who were leaning to vote for her.
A report was published by Maricopa County regarding the alleged voting glitches last month after Arizona's attorney general requested answers on the matter. Voters were called on by election officials to either drop their ballots in a secure box in case of a machine malfunction or to choose another voting location to go to.
Hobbs' campaign manager responded to Lake's filing calling it a "sham lawsuit" and adding that “Kari Lake needs attention like a fish needs water — and independent experts and local election officials of both parties have made clear that this was a safe, secure, and fair election,”
“Arizonans made their voices heard and elected Katie Hobbs as their governor. No nuisance lawsuit will change that, and we remain laser-focused on getting ready to hit the ground running on Day One of Katie Hobbs’ administration next year.”
