The head of the Arizona Republican Party has declared his departure following his involvement in a bribery controversy. Jeff DeWit is said to have proposed financial incentives to GOP candidate Kari Lake, urging her to withdraw from the upcoming US Senate race. Lake declined the offer, and a recording of DeWit’s illicit proposal has surfaced.
On January 23, the Daily Mail, a British newspaper, published an audio recording purportedly featuring a conversation between Lake and DeWit. During the exchange, DeWit mentioned, “There are very powerful people who want to keep you out,” and commenced inquiring “is there a number at which…” Lake interjected, questioning whether he believed she could be influenced by monetary incentives. DeWit responded by suggesting she could take a break and re-enter the political arena after a couple of years.
Upon the release of the recording, Lake promptly urged DeWit, who was implicated in the corruption scandal, to step down from his position. The following day, DeWit responded, alleging that the conversation had been selectively edited. However, his reaction appeared to express more irritation towards Lake for recording the dialogue than addressing the bribery scandal itself.
Initially, he declared his intention to resist Lake’s efforts to remove him from his position. However, it appears that he has since reconsidered his stance.
DeWit asserts that Lake’s team has reached out to him, issuing a threat to unveil a potentially more harmful recording. Although he professes uncertainty about the contents of that recording, he has opted not to take the chance and will accede to her demand for his resignation. In exchange, he expresses a desire for her to cease her criticisms against him.
DeWit has yet to explicitly confess to attempting to bribe her. In his statement, where he sought to justify his actions, he alleged that Lake orchestrated a setup with the aim of seizing control of the Arizona GOP. Yet, he fails to provide any rationale for referencing the individuals opposed to Lake’s candidacy or how she influenced him to broach the subject. Currently, he intends to re-enter the business realm, allowing Lake to proceed with her political campaign.
