'Playing with fire': Former DHS chief burns Kari Lake for fueling bogus election conspiracy theories
Jeh Johnson, a former United States Secretary of Homeland Security under President Barack Obama, called out failed Trump-backed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake on Tuesday for potentially inciting violence with her refusal to concede her defeat.
During an interview with CNN's Don Lemon, Johnson said that it was dangerous for Lake to continue stoking false conspiracy theories about the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election, following a playbook run by President Donald Trump in 2020 that culminated in the deadly January 6th Capitol riots.
"In Arizona, I believe Kari Lake is playing with fire," he said. "I believe that those who foment grievance, discontent, anger, in the face of a lot of contrary evidence do make violence inevitable in this country."
Lemon pointed out that Lake was far from the only Republican to push election conspiracy theories after her defeat, but Johnson countered that she is worth focusing on because she's currently the loudest and most high-profile denier in the United States other than Trump himself.
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"Arizona is the focal point right now," he said. "And people really do listen to their leaders. People really do listen to those with the microphone, those with the public voice. And those who tap into suspicion, conspiracy theories, grievance, are playing with fire."
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