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Arizona GOP Chairman Jeff DeWit resigned from his position on Wednesday, according to a statement from his office, which has been shared widely on social media.
In the statement shared via the Arizona Republican Party, DeWit announced his resignation in the wake of leaked audio that was released online via DailyMail.com, in which DeWit reportedly had a conversation with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake.
The conversation centers on what seems to be his attempts to bribe Lake on behalf of unnamed entities to stay out of the Senate race for two years. The audio was apparently recorded last spring before Lake had come to a decision about running for Senate following her gubernatorial bid.
In DeWit’s statement, he argued that the audio recording had been “selectively edited” and accused Lake of using a “deceptive tactic”:
“In light of the recent revelation that Kari Lake has released a selectively audio recording of our private conversations, I must clearly address this deceptive tactic. This 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.”
DeWit said that the conversation was, in fact, “transparent and intended to offer perspective, not coercion” and said he had considered Lake to be a “friend.” He also made a laundry list of complaints against Lake, accusing her of setting him up so that she could “have control over the state party.”
He added, “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.”
In light of this information, he decided to resign “as Lake requested,” but claimed that he was still a “proud supporter of President Trump…”
This startling development comes after Kari Lake publicly commented on the leaked audio in New Hampshire on Tuesday night in Nashua, just before President Trump’s big primary victory.
She told RSBN’s Brian Glenn that the audio recording had been “real” and later added, “Our government is rotten to the core. They’re tyrants, and we the people no longer have any control over our government.”