Kari Lake Sued for Defamation by Arizona Election Official: ‘These Defamatory Statements Have Altered My Life’

Republican politician Kari Lake is being sued by an Arizona election official for defamation over remarks she made about her defeat in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election, which she refused to concede.

In a statement on Thursday, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer — a Republican — announced he had filed a lawsuit against Lake after having his life “altered” by her remarks:

I’m suing Kari Lake. I’d hoped the defamation would stop after the election. I waited. I’d hoped it would stop after the first election trial. I waited. I’d hoped it would stop after the appeal. I waited. I’d hoped it would stop after the second trial. I waited. I’d hoped it would stop after she got a new job. I waited. But then I realized I AM the job. Defaming me is her path to campaign donations, speaking opportunities, and national trips.

Richer said that while he lived “a very lucky, wonderful” life, “these defamatory statements have altered my life. For the worse. Materially.”

He continued, “And just because I live a great life doesn’t mean I have to sit back while somebody says false things about me and says I did truly horrible things — things that multiple courts found to be false.”

Richer concluded, “I wish it would have stopped on its own. But it didn’t. So today I’m suing Kari Lake to hopefully put an end to the false statements.”

According to Richer’s lawsuit, Lake and her gubernatorial campaign falsely accused him of having “sabotaged the election to prevent Republican candidates, including Lake, from winning.”

These comments led to Richer being “assigned a security detail by county law enforcement in response to threats and harassing communications,” according to the Washington Post, which reported that Richer “now rarely attends political functions held by grass-roots GOP activists, many of whom remain convinced of malfeasance.”

Since her 2022 gubernatorial election defeat, Lake has repeatedly singled Richer out and even reportedly displayed a photo of him during a rally as her supporters jeered.

Following news of the lawsuit, Lake made an appearance on Newsmax’s The Balance with Eric Bolling, though the topic went unmentioned. Lake did, however, hit out against “people with Rs behind their name,” who she said were “totally opposed to a candidate who wants to put America First,” despite their Republican affiliation.

Lake has been a prominent defender of former President Donald Trump on cable news and she is reportedly being considered by Trump to be his 2024 running mate.

People Magazine reported this week that Lake “practically lives in” Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and “is there every night” as she vies for the vice presidency.

“She wants something bigger, fast, to compensate for her loss in Arizona,” an unnamed sourced told the magazine.

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