Stories Chosen For You
Election denier Kari Lake was the subject of a hard-hitting new analysis by CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale.
"A leading Republican candidate for governor of Arizona, Kari Lake, continues to put lies about the 2020 presidential election at the center of her campaign – this week calling it 'disqualifying' and 'sickening' for a rival candidate not to say that the election was stolen, though it wasn’t stolen," he reported. "Lake’s strong performance in the Republican primary so far means that an aggressively dishonest promoter of conspiracy theories about the 2020 election could potentially have a prominent role in the 2024 presidential election in a key swing state."
At the debate, Lake lied about President Joe Biden when she said, “He lost the election and he shouldn’t be in the White House.”
\u201c\u201cWould you agree that we had a corrupt, stolen election? Raise your hand\u201d \n\nOnly one #AZGOV Candidate REFUSED to raise her hand: Karrin Taylor Robson. \n\nDisqualifying.\u201d— Kari Lake for AZ Governor (@Kari Lake for AZ Governor) 1656549299
"As supposed proof, Lake cited a 'forensic audit.' A shambolic Republican-initiated partisan review, described by supporters as an audit but marred by problems, confirmed that Biden beat Trump in Arizona’s most populous county," Dale noted. "Lake also defended a right-wing film about the 2020 election that is filled with holes of logic and evidence, even after the debate moderator noted that Trump-appointed former Attorney General William Barr had scoffed at the film. And Lake falsely said that 34,000 Arizona ballots 'were counted two, three and four times,' though this simply did not happen."
And Lake is even trying to clean up her lies during the debate.
"Lake’s campaign declined to make a substantive comment for this article. When asked for supporting information about Lake’s false claim that ballots were counted up to four times, an adviser replied only by mocking CNN," Dale reported.
Early voting begins on Wednesday in the August 2 GOP
Lake has been endorsed by Trump.
\u201cArizona's Kari Lake, who is waging one of the country's most aggressively dishonest 2022 campaigns, says it\u2019s "disqualifying" and "sickening" for her top rival to not call the 2020 election "stolen," though it wasn't stolen: https://t.co/N8BvSt5wCX\u201d— Daniel Dale (@Daniel Dale) 1656711688
Mark Meadows asked an associate to 'influence' January 6 testimony of his former aide: report
On Friday, CNN reported that one of the people who tried to "influence" the testimony of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson to the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, did so on the request of Hutchinson's former boss, Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
"Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the vice chairwoman of the committee, brought up two examples of possible witness intimidation at a hearing featuring Hutchinson, who was an aide to Meadows in the Trump White House, earlier this week, without naming a witness or who made contact," reported Zachary Cohen, Ryan Nobles, and Annie Grayer. "Sources now tell CNN that both instances recounted by Cheney were directed at Hutchinson, and that Hutchinson believes the messages were intended to impact her testimony."
"In one instance, Cheney said a witness received a call in which someone said: '(A person) let me know you have your deposition tomorrow. He wants me to let you know that he's thinking about you. He knows you're loyal, and you're going to do the right thing when you go in for your deposition,'" said the report.
According to the report, Meadows' team vehemently denies anything of the sort happened, with Meadows spokesperson Ben Williamson saying, "No one from Meadows camp, himself or otherwise, ever sought to intimidate or shape her conversations with the committee."
Legal experts have suggested that Meadows is facing serious liability for his active involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, with former prosecutor Larry Hitman saying that the Justice Department is likely to make Meadows the subject or target of a criminal investigation.
Hutchinson provided a number of explosive new details about Trump's alleged behavior on the day of the attack, including that he demanded rioters be allowed to march to the Capitol even knowing that they were armed, and that he assaulted his own protective detail after the Secret Service told him he couldn't join his supporters at the site of the attack.
Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Friday denied being in a feud with a three-year-old Muppet in his latest incident involving a resident of Sesame Street.
The brouhaha started when the educational TV show ran a public service announcement in which Elmo gets vaccinated.
In the PSA, Elmo's dad Louie says he had questions about the vaccine and spoke with the family's pediatrician.
"I learned that Elmo getting vaccinated was the best way to keep himself, our friends, neighbors, and everyone else healthy and enjoying the things they love," he said.
IN OTHER NEWS: A sovereign citizen who claims to be the ‘Queen of Canada’ is causing real harm to her subjects
On Tuesday, Cruz complained that Sesame Street had Elmo "aggressively advocate for vaccinating children UNDER 5."
CBS News published a story under the headline, "Elmo talks about getting COVID vaccine; Ted Cruz has a problem with that."
Days later Cruz was still thinking about the fictional character known for referring to himself in the third person.
"Corporate media having fun pretending I’m in a fight with the red furry muppet Elmo. Nope," Cruz claimed, on day three of his complaints about vaccinations.
He then launched the conspiracy theory that the PSA, "spread dishonest government propaganda to toddlers."
And this was not the first time he's complained about a resident of Elmo's neighborhood getting vaccinated.
In November, the Harvard-educated lawyer attacked Sesame Street after Big Bird was vaccinated and received mockery so widespread he was roasted on "Saturday Night Live."
\u201cIt's okay to have questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children! Elmo's dad Louie talked to their pediatrician, and learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep him and his whole neighborhood safe and healthy! #CaringForEachOther\u201d— Sesame Street (@Sesame Street) 1656423000
Copyright © 2022 Raw Story Media, Inc. PO Box 21050, Washington, D.C. 20009 | Masthead | Privacy Policy | For corrections or concerns, please email corrections@rawstory.com.