PHOENIX — Kari Lake, the Republican nominee for governor of Arizona, accused journalists of trying to “influence this election” after news outlets reported on a break-in at Democratic nominee Katie Hobbs’s office earlier this week and allegations from the Arizona Democratic Party that she was directly responsible.
“My desperate opponent, who is sinking like lead weight in water, pulled a stunt, and you guys fell for it. She put out a defamatory statement, and you all ran with it. You didn’t do your journalistic duty. It was malpractice of journalism that I’ve never seen before,” Lake said during a press conference with reporters on Thursday after police announced that a suspect had been arrested in the burglary.
Lake picks public fights with the press at nearly every campaign event, and the exchanges are recorded by her team. The footage is often released via social media, a tactic that generates viral moments and free media coverage for herself. She frequently begins her campaign rallies by asking attendees to say hello to the “fake news,” often to the delight of her followers.
KARI LAKE CALLS BREAK-IN AT HOBBS CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS ‘JUSSIE SMOLLETT PART TWO’
Lake on Thursday stood alongside posters featuring headlines from news outlets across the country covering the incident, directly calling out several national and local outlets.
Daniel Mota Dos Reis, 36, is accused of breaking into Hobbs’s Phoenix headquarters around 7 p.m. Monday and stealing multiple items.
The Phoenix Police Department said a patrol officer recognized the suspect from surveillance images and that Dos Reis had been arrested earlier in the day for a separate burglary. Dos Reis was rearrested and booked on one count of third-degree burglary.
There doesn’t appear to be any connection between the break-in and politics. Even before police announced they had arrested a suspect, Democrats claimed Kari Lake’s rhetoric was to blame, while Lake suggested the break-in was staged.
At a Planned Parenthood roundtable event on Thursday morning, Hobbs declined to speak further on the break-in. Her campaign said it had been made aware of the arrest but was not providing any details about what items were stolen from the office.
Hobbs’s campaign manager, Nicole DeMont, responded to her opponent, who suggested the burglary was staged.
“Kari Lake’s preposterous allegation that this break-in was staged is unfounded and her refusal to condemn the threats that have become common in our politics continues to stoke chaos,” DeMont said in a statement.
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One GOP operative who viewed Lake’s press conference Thursday said he worries about the future of political coverage after witnessing the hostility toward the media.
“Lake is waging war on the media. I think she is dangerous for a free and fair press,” he said.
