The chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, Jeff DeWit, resigned after a leaked audio recording revealed his offer of money to Kari Lake to stay out of the U.S. Senate race, which he described as a “set up.”
DeWit accused Lake of orchestrating the recording to gain control over the state party and claimed it was a breach of trust, emphasizing that their relationship was based on friendship.
DeWit wrote, “The recording, from over ten months ago, is not only taken out of context but also undermines the integrity of private discussions critical for party leadership.”
“In fact, for over a year and a half we had many conversations where I was looking out for her financial interests,” continued his letter.
“The ethical breach in her recording of our conversation, while Lake was my employee, raises serious legal and moral concerns. This act of recording was not just a betrayal of trust but also a violation of the fiduciary responsibilities of an employee. Contrary to accusations of bribery, my discussions were transparent and intended to offer perspective, not coercion. Our relationship was based on friendship, and the conversation that is now being scrutinized was an open, unguarded exchange between friends in the living room of her house. I genuinely believed I was offering a helpful perspective to someone I considered a friend,” he explained.
“The release of our conversation by Lake confirms a disturbing tendency to exploit private interactions for personal gain and increases concerns about her habit of secretly recording personal and private conversations,” wrote DeWit.
“This is obviously a concern given how much interaction she has with high profile people including President Trump. I question how effective a United States Senator can be when they cannot be trusted to engage in private and confidential conversations,” wrote the strategist.
“I believe she orchestrated this entire situation to have control over the state party, and it is obvious from the recording that she crafted her performance responses with the knowledge that she was recording it, intending to use this recording later to portray herself as a hero in her own story,” explained DeWit.
“This morning, I was determined to fight for my position. However, a few hours ago, I received an ultimatum from Lake’s team: resign today or face the release of a new, more damaging recording,” he continued.
“I am truly unsure of its contents, but considering our numerous past open conversations as friends, I have decided not to take the risk,” wrote DeWit.
He regretted some of his comments in the recording but decided to resign after receiving an ultimatum from Lake’s team.
“I am resigning as Lake requested, in the hope that she will honor her commitment to cease her attacks, allowing me to return to the business sector–a field I find much more logical and prefer over politics,” concluded the former chairman.
Lake’s campaign denied threatening or blackmailing DeWit and labeled his behavior as unethical.
Lake’s campaign wrote, “The tape speaks for itself: The Arizona GOP Chairman Jeff DeWit attempted to bribe Kari Lake. Thankfully Kari is an extremely ethical person who rejected DeWit’s multiple attempts to offer her money and corporate board seats in exchange for Kari not running for public office. She will be an incredible Senator for Arizonans. No one from the Kari Lake campaign threatened or blackmailed DeWit. It is unfortunate that Dewit hasn’t recognized how unethical his behavior was and still hasn’t apologized to Arizona Republicans.”
“DeWit’s false claims are just par for the course. The Arizona GOP must be relieved to have his resignation. Now we can focus on getting ethical leadership and win big in 2024,” declared the Lake campaign.
DeWit’s resignation was seen as a relief by the Lake campaign, which aims to focus on ethical leadership and winning in 2024.
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