Kari Lake spins tale of attempted bribery to drop out of politics

Ms Lake emerged as a star at CPAC

Failed Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake said at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday that someone showed up at her door and bribed her to get out of politics.

Ms Lake spoke at CPAC on Saturday afternoon after she delivered the Ronald Reagan dinner on Friday evening. She said it happened right before she headed to Washington.

“They came to my door and they tried to bribe me out of getting out of politics,” she told the crowd. “I’m telling you this because this is how disgusting politics is. A mom who runs for office and they’re afraid of me?”

CPAC 2023

Ms Lake, a former news anchor, lost the governor’s race to Katie Hobbs in November. But she’s refused to concede the race, falsely claiming that the election was stolen from her, and has instead filed a lawsuit. The Arizona Court of Appeals rejected her claim, calling it “sheer speculation,” but said that she would take the case to the state’s state supreme court.

She said that the person offered a position on a board and a large salary, which she refused to do.

“This person standing before me was sent at the request of some powerful people back East,” she said. “They want me out of politics. But what a minute, I thought already stopped us? Why are they so afraid, I thought they already stopped our movement.”

Many attendees at CPAC, including former adviser to president Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, have said she could be a potential running mate for Mr Trump’s 2024 campaign.

Ms Lake did not say what she would do next.

“I don’t what the future holds,” she said. “I’m just on God’s time right now.”

Ms Lake’s speech comes on the last day of the conservative gathering ahead of Mr Trump’s address at the end of the conference.

UPDATE: On 24 January 2024, Arizona GOP chairman Jeff DeWit resigned after a recording was leaked of DeWit apparently trying to convince Kari Lake to stay out of the state’s Senate race. In his resignation statement, DeWit claimed the recording had been “selectively edited” and taken out of context.