Arizona Republican Party Chairman Resigns After Leaked Recording Surfaces

Jeff DeWit, the Republican Party Chairman in Arizona, resigned on Wednesday following the leak of a recording where he offered a job and asked U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake to name a price that would keep her out of politics.

The recording, made in March 2023, comes at a time when Lake is engaged in a legal battle challenging her loss in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial race and preparing for a U.S. Senate campaign. Meanwhile, Republicans in Washington are discussing seeking GOP Senate nominees with better chances in general elections after a disappointing midterm performance.

In the leaked recording, DeWit tells Lake that powerful people are willing to put their money behind keeping her out of the Senate race. He repeatedly asks her not to disclose their conversation to anyone. The recording, which DeWit described as “selectively edited,” was first published by the Daily Mail days before a scheduled fundraiser for the Arizona GOP featuring former President Donald Trump and the party’s annual state committee meeting.

DeWit claimed he was offering candid advice, not a bribe, to Lake to sit out the Senate race and run again for governor in 2028. He stated that their relationship was based on friendship and that the conversation was an open exchange between friends.

However, Lake, known for her penchant for weaponizing recordings of her confrontations, routinely wears a small microphone during public appearances while her husband records her interactions. She sometimes posts videos of confrontational encounters on social media. It appears that DeWit was unaware that he was being recorded during their conversation.

DeWit’s resignation came after Lake’s team gave him an ultimatum to resign or face the release of another, more damaging recording. DeWit expressed uncertainty about the contents of the unreleased recording but decided to step down to avoid further risk.

Lake has repeatedly described the meeting with DeWit in her public appearances, portraying herself as an outsider shaking up a corrupt establishment. In response to the leaked recording, DeWit criticized Lake’s tendency to exploit private interactions for personal gain, questioning her ability to engage in private and confidential conversations as a U.S. Senator.

DeWit, a trusted and experienced political operative, previously served as chief operating officer for Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns and chief financial officer at NASA during the Trump presidency. He was also Arizona’s elected state treasurer.

Lake, a former television news anchor, has demanded DeWit’s resignation, stating that someone corrupt and compromised cannot lead the Republican Party. The leaked recording and subsequent developments have created a significant shakeup in the Arizona Republican Party, with implications for the upcoming election and the party’s relationship with Lake.

The resignation of DeWit and the leaked recording have sent shockwaves through the Arizona Republican Party, raising questions about the party’s direction and its ability to unite behind a single candidate in the upcoming Senate race. The developments also underscore the deep divisions within the Republican Party, both nationally and in Arizona, as the party grapples with its future in the post-Trump era.