Win or lose, Kari Lake needs to back up her claim of election fraud

Arizona voters are going to the polls today to begin the process of selecting the people  who will lead us in the coming years.

Given the importance of the task, if you knew of a plot to fix the election wouldn’t you report it? Immediately?

No need to answer. Any responsible citizen run, not walk, to the police or to elections officials or if nothing else, shine a public light on any potential fraud that’s afoot.

Which makes Kari Lake’s refusal to report what she knows perplexing, given her belief that the 2020 election was stolen. And downright suspicious, given her oft-stated desire for that which we all want: A fair, democratic result.

Last week, Lake told a far right group in Anthem that she was “already detecting some stealing going on” in the election. Then she repeated it on the radio.

“I’m telling you right now, anybody trying to steal this, first of all, we’re already detecting some stealing going on, but you guys know I’m a fighter, right?” she told the North Valley Constitutional Republicans.  “You haven’t seen me when they try to steal something. I’m gonna go supernova radioactive. We’re not gonna let them steal an election.”

Curiously, Lake has declined to lift a finger to ensure that doesn’t happen by reporting what she says she has discovered.

It’s now been eight days since she announced she has evidence of fraud. On the eve of Arizona’s primary election, she was once again asked about that evidence. 

Cue this Monday night interview with MSNBC’s Vaughn Hillyard:

Hillyard: : “You’re already contending that there’s irregularities and fraud in this election. At what point does Kari Lake stop and say, ‘Am I undermining Americans’ faith in our elections?’”

Lake: “Kari Lake is going to help bring honest elections back to America.”

Hillyard: “But you haven’t even laid out any fraud or irregularities.”

Lake: “And unfortunately, people like Vaughn are about destroying America.”

Hillyard: “But what fraud is there, Kari?”

Lake: Vaughn –

Hillyard: “This is serious.”

Lake: “Do you want to make this about you?”

Hillyard: “This is about Arizona voters and their faith in this election.”

Lake: “The last person … on the planet Earth that I would tell about what we discovered is you and MSDNC.”

That’s classic Kari Lake. When asked a question she doesn’t want to answer, she turns that well-wagged finger on the reporter.

As it turns out, Hillyard is not the only last person on the planet to whom Lake refuses to lay out whatever evidence of election fraud she possesses.

It appears that august group also includes the police, the sheriff, Maricopa County elections officials and virtually anyone else in a position to do something about it.

Count Bill Gates, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, among the frustrated.

“It is beyond irresponsible for a major candidate in the Republican Party to be making these allegations, he said on 12News’ Sunday Square Off. “If they have proof, they need to provide it.”

Any responsible citizen would.

How curious that a candidate who for more than a year has been railing about 2020  election fraud won’t lift a finger to stop it in 2022.

Unless, of course … 

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.

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