Current:Home > Contact-usArizona GOP Chairman Jeff DeWit resigns after leaked tape showed him floating a job for Kari Lake to skip Senate race-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Arizona GOP Chairman Jeff DeWit resigns after leaked tape showed him floating a job for Kari Lake to skip Senate race
View Date:2024-12-23 18:36:36
Arizona Republican Party Chairman Jeff DeWit resigned Wednesday after he could be heard in a leaked recording offering a job to U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake and asking her to name a price that would keep her out of politics.
DeWit's departure shakes up the Republican Party in a battleground state that will feature prominently in the battle for control of the White House and the U.S. Senate in the November election.
At the time of the recording last March, Lake was waging an unsuccessful court fight challenging her loss in the 2022 race for Arizona governor and gearing up for a U.S. Senate campaign. Meanwhile, Republicans in Washington, bruised by a disappointing showing in the midterms, were talking openly about plans to seek GOP Senate nominees who would be more viable in general elections.
What DeWit said on the Kari Lake recording
"There are very powerful people that want to keep you out," DeWit tells Lake in what he described as a "selectively edited" recording, first published by The Daily Mail. "But they're willing to put their money where their mouth is in a big way."
He did not say who asked him to approach Lake but said they were "back East." He asks her repeatedly not to tell anyone about the conversation.
"Is there a number at which—" DeWit asks at one point, before Lake interjects: "I can be bought?"
In a statement announcing his resignation, DeWit said he had planned to fight to keep his job until Lake's team gave him an ultimatum to resign or she would release another, more damaging recording.
"I am truly unsure of its contents, but considering our numerous past open conversations as friends, I have decided not to take the risk," DeWit wrote.
He said he didn't intend to bribe Lake but was offering candid advice for her to sit out the Senate race and run again for governor in 2028.
"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," DeWit said. "I genuinely believed I was offering a helpful perspective to someone I considered a friend."
Lake, a former television news anchor, has a penchant for weaponizing recordings of her confrontations.
She routinely wears a small microphone during her public appearances while her husband, a former news photographer, records her interactions with supporters, critics, the press and anyone else she encounters. She sometimes posts videos of confrontational encounters on social media.
A Twitter account associated with Lake's campaign published a video of her attorney talking on speakerphone with a lawyer for Maricopa County as Lake claimed the county stole the 2022 race for Arizona governor from her. Courts have repeatedly rejected her claims of fraud.
Yet even as Lake delivered campaign-style talking points for an audience not in the room, DeWit did not seem to catch on that he was being recorded.
The recording was leaked days before former President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear at a fundraiser for the Arizona GOP, which is in desperate need of cash, and the party's annual state committee meeting.
Without naming her visitor, Lake has repeatedly described the meeting in her public appearances, using it to bolster her image as an outsider shaking up a corrupt establishment.
Lake's Senate campaign said the recording "speaks for itself: The Arizona GOP Chairman Jeff DeWit attempted to bribe Kari Lake."
"It is unfortunate that Dewit hasn't recognized how unethical his behavior was and still hasn't apologized to Arizona Republicans," the campaign said in a statement. "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."
DeWit went down swinging, blasting Lake's "disturbing tendency to to exploit private interactions for personal gain," which he said is concerning given the amount of time Lake spends with Trump.
"I question how effective a United States Senator can be when they cannot be trusted to engage in private and confidential conversations," DeWit said.
DeWit was chief operating officer for Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns and chief financial officer at NASA during the Trump presidency. He was seen as a trusted and experienced operative who could bridge the bitter divide between Trump loyalists and old guard Republicans in Arizona, many of whom were brought into the party by the late Sen. John McCain.
Before that, he was Arizona's elected state treasurer.
Late Tuesday, Lake told reporters at Trump's New Hampshire primary victory party that DeWit must step down.
"We can't have somebody who's corrupt and compromised running the Republican Party," she said.
- In:
- Corruption
- Kari Lake
- Arizona
- United States Senate
- Politics
- Bribery
veryGood! (86446)
Related
- NFL power rankings Week 11: Steelers, Eagles enjoying stealthy rises
- Justin Bieber Returns To The Stage A Year After Canceling World Tour
- Feds won’t restore protections for wolves in Rockies, western states, propose national recovery plan
- Mayorkas is driven by his own understanding of the immigrant experience. Republicans want him gone
- Lala Kent Swears by This Virgo-Approved Accessory and Shares Why Stassi Schroeder Inspires Her Fall Style
- What Paul Nassif Really Thinks of Botched Costar Terry Dubrow Using Ozempic
- Rep. Jim Jordan subpoenas Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis over use of federal funds
- Orioles land former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes in major trade with Brewers
- 'SNL' stars jokingly declare support for Trump, Dana Carvey plays Elon Musk
- Discovery of bones and tools in German cave could rewrite history of humans and Neanderthals: Huge surprise
Ranking
- Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger welcome their first son together
- Justin Timberlake's apology to 'nobody', Britney Spears' Instagram post fuel a fan frenzy
- Bruce Springsteen Mourns Death of Mom Adele With Emotional Tribute
- NFL veteran QB Teddy Bridgewater named head coach at alma mater, Miami Northwestern
- New York races to revive Manhattan tolls intended to fight traffic before Trump can block them
- Avalanche forecasters try to curb deaths as skiers and snowmobilers flock to backcountry areas
- Could Biden shut down the border now? What to know about the latest immigration debate
- 2024 Pro Bowl Games results: NFC takes lead over AFC after Thursday Skills Showdown
Recommendation
-
Jennifer Lopez Turns Wicked Premiere Into Family Outing With 16-Year-Old Emme
-
What is wasabi and why does it have such a spicy kick?
-
NCAA men's tournament Bracketology: North Carolina hanging onto top seed by a thread
-
You'll Need a Cold Shower After Seeing Bad Bunny's Naked Bathtub Photos
-
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chancellor to step down at end of academic year
-
Senators reach a deal on border policy bill. Now it faces an uphill fight to passage
-
2 men claim $1 million lottery prizes from same game within 25 minutes of each other
-
Apple Vision Pro debuts Friday. Here's what you need to know.