GOP attorneys back off election cases fearing they'll have to represent Kari Lake: report

Republican attorneys in Arizona who have previously helped the party litigate election cases are stepping back out of fear they might have to represent former TV news anchor and Republican Senate nominee Kari Lake in frivolous election conspiracy theory lawsuits, NBC News reported on Tuesday.

"Earlier this month, Kory Langhofer resigned as the chief legal counsel for former President Donald Trump's and the Republican National Committee’s 'election integrity' operation in Arizona," reported Vaughn Hillyard and Alex Tabet — which puts him "among more than a dozen Republican lawyers in the state who were a part of the GOP’s Arizona litigation team in past election cycles, including in 2020 and 2022, but are not slated to participate in its efforts this fall."

Langhofer's absence is notable, as he was a key part of the much-discredited "Cyber Ninjas" audit the GOP-led state Senate mandated after 2020, which failed to validate Trump's fraud allegations.

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A big driver of this is the fear among these attorneys they could be stuck defending Lake, the report continued.

"Three GOP lawyers involved in previous Arizona campaigns, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak openly about their hesitation to engage this cycle, told NBC News that there is concern particularly over a penchant from Lake ... to push litigation and question proceedings."

One lawyer who helped the GOP litigate election cases said: “Kari creates this environment that is inhospitable for very reasonable people.”

Lake, who is running for the seat being vacated by independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, previously ran for Arizona governor, and narrowly lost to Democratic then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. She refused to accept the result as legitimate and filed a string of lawsuits alleging fraud based on minor tabulator glitches in certain precincts.

No court has found for her in these lawsuits. One attorney who helped her bring these cases was later suspended from practicing law in Arizona.

All of this comes as Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris fight tooth and nail for voters in Arizona, which is set to be one of the most important battleground states.