During her response to President Joe Biden’s national address Thursday, Kari Lake, the Republican nominee for Arizona governor, was asked by a reporter about the results of the 2020 election.
Lake was quick to answer and served up a scathing public repudiation of Biden and the establishment media, all in less than 90 seconds.
The unnamed reporter asked Lake, “You said you feel like Joe Biden is dividing the country, but do you feel like Donald Trump is doing the same by falsely telling people that he won that election when he lost it?”
Lake took a sip of water and leveled her gaze at the reporter. “How does that divide the country? Questioning an election where there were obviously problems is dividing the country? Since when can we not ask questions about our elections?” she asked.
Watch: @KariLake Destroys A ‘Journalist’ In 90 Seconds… pic.twitter.com/XSDBKP8iSo
— Covid-1984 (@Spiro_Ghost) September 2, 2022
“I was a journalist after 2016 and I distinctly remember many people just like you asking a lot of questions about the 2016 election results. And nobody tried to shut you up. Nobody tried to tell Hillary Clinton to shut up. Nobody tried to tell Kamala Harris, when she was questioning the legitimacy of these electronic voting machines, to stop.”
Lake continued, “We have freedom of speech in this country and you of all people should appreciate that. You’re supposedly a journalist. You should appreciate that. So I don’t see how asking questions about an election where there were many problems is dividing a country.”
“What I do see dividing a country is shutting people down, censoring people, canceling people, trying to destroy people’s lives when they do ask questions.”
Do you think Lake will be elected governor of Arizona?
Yes: 99% (684 Votes)
No: 1% (4 Votes)
“Last I heard, we still have the Constitution. It’s hanging by a thread thanks to some of the work some people in this area have done. But we’re going to save that Constitution. We’re going to bring back freedom of speech, and maybe someday you’ll thank us for that.”
Watch the full media conference:
Far beyond pushing back against the reporters, Lake took very clear aim at Biden as well as her opponent, Arizona’s Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, whom she called out for refusing to agree to a debate, and the scandal surrounding the 2015 firing of former Senate aide Talonya Adams, according to AZCentral.
Adams brought suit against Hobbs and her office, winning jury verdicts confirming that she was discriminated against on the job and was further retaliated against, resulting in her firing. Hobbs later issued an “apology” that was not well received.
I know that my initial response to the jury verdict fell short of taking real accountability for the pain I’ve caused — to Ms. Adams and many Arizonans. Arizonans deserve a leader who owns up to her mistakes. pic.twitter.com/7MaUkq3YNA
— Katie Hobbs (@katiehobbs) December 8, 2021
“I firmly believe that Katie Hobbs is not fit to serve as governor of the state of Arizona,” Adams told AZCentral in 2021, even adding for good measure that Hobbs should resign her current role overseeing Arizona elections.