Failed Kari Lake, Arizona’s gubernatorial candidate had a rough day in court on Wednesday in her last-ditch attempt to overturn the 2022 election results.
“Two hours in and this trial is already over,” wrote Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts. “Or it should be.”
Lake’s “star witness,” Roberts wrote, instead “proceeded to annihilate Lake’s case” on the witness stand.
Lake, a former TV host who has become a conspiracy theorist and Donald Trump acolyte, was defeated in November’s election by Katie Hobbs by more than 17,000 votes, according to the Daily Beast.
Rather than concede, she has sued, making a series of wild and unproven claims. While the majority of her legal claims have been dismissed, the Arizona Supreme Court is hearing her claims about the signature verification process in Maricopa County, which is home to the majority of the state’s voters.
Lake claims that the county failed to conduct higher-level verification on ballots that had been flagged for potential inconsistencies.
However, Roberts stated that Lake’s witness, Jacqueline Onigkeit, spent an hour explaining how thorough that process is, including a week of training, multiple levels of review, and reminders to be cautious and pay attention.
Another Lake witness also helped the county’s case, she said.
“As blockbusters go, Kari Lake is halfway there,” Roberts wrote. “If you count the ‘bust’ part.”