'I was set up': Arizona GOP chair accuses Kari Lake of trapping him in bribe conversation

Arizona Republican Party chair Jeff DeWit has resigned his position following the leak of a taped conversation in which he appears to offer Kari Lake a bribe to end her 2024 Senate campaign, KPNX reported Wednesday.

In the conversation, first reported earlier this week, DeWit apparently said, "There are very powerful people who want to keep you out ... What they're willing to do is put their money where their mouth is in a big way."

Lake, a Trump-backed candidate who famously refused to concede her loss in the 2022 gubernatorial election in Arizona, replied by saying she is a "great candidate" and the offer was "corrupt."

In a statement announcing his departure, DeWit accused Lake of having tricked him in a hostile takeover — but pleaded with her to have mercy on him and let him go back to a quiet life in the private sector.

"I said things I regret, but I realize when hearing Lake's recording that I was set up," DeWit said. "I believe she orchestrated this entire situation to have control over the state party, and it is obvious from the recording that she crafted her performance responses with the knowledge that she was recording it, intending to use this recording later to portray herself as a hero in her own story."

"This morning, I was determined to fight for my position," he continued. "However, a few hours ago, I received an ultimatum from Lake's team: resign today or face the release of a new, more damaging recording. I am truly unsure of its contents, but considering our numerous past open conversations as friends, I have decided not to take the risk. I am resigning as Lake requested, in the hope that she will honor her commitment to cease her attacks, allowing me to return to the business sector — a field I find much more logical and prefer over politics."

All of this comes as the Arizona Republican Party is in a dire situation, following years of losses in key races; last September, it was reported that the party had burned through most of the $152,000 it had in its federal campaign account at the time DeWit took the reins.