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Defeated, Trump-backed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake faces sanctions after a failed attempt to overturn the results of the midterm election which saw her defeated by Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in November. Photo courtesy of
Kari Lake/TwitterDec. 26 (UPI) — Defeated, Trump-backed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake faces sanctions after a failed attempt to overturn the results of the midterm election which saw her defeated by Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in November.
Lake pressured for a new election in Maricopa County, contesting the results with a 70-page lawsuit alleging a voting machine error was responsible for her loss. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson tossed Lake’s lawsuit on Saturday on the grounds that she did not prove any misconduct took place.
Governor-elect Hobbs joined Maricopa County Monday in filing for sanctions against Lake.
“Before a single vote was counted in the 2022 general election, Kari Lake publicly stated that she would accept the results of the gubernatorial election only if she were the winning candidate,” the filing states.
“Ms. Lake’s and her counsel’s sustained attack on Arizona elections began well before this election contest, when she filed a lawsuit against most of the defendants here that relied, among other things, on an allegation that Arizona does not use paper ballots.”
The filing alleges that Lake took a “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” approach to contesting the results of the election, rather than forming a concise argument supported by evidence. She and her team then put Maricopa County through a “frivolous” court proceeding, knowing they did not have any witness testimony or evidence that would meet the standards of the court.
“The ethical rules that attorneys must follow require that ‘[a] lawyer shall not bring or defend a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein, unless there is a good faith basis in law and fact for doing so that is not frivolous,” said the filing.
Lake lost to Hobbs by about 17,000 votes.
Maricopa County seeks $25,050 to be paid by Lake for attorney’s fees.
“Enough really is enough. It is past time to end unfounded attacks on elections and unwarranted accusations against elections officials,” the conclusion to the filing reads.
