Kari Lake, U.S. Senate hopeful and former TV newscaster, has landed in hot water as her financial disclosures spark controversy. According to a report by Newsweek, Lake was on Superfeed Technologies' payroll, pocketing a hefty $101,507 as an adviser. This tech company once fell under the lead of Jeff DeWit, whom Lake recently helped to push out of his chairmanship at the Arizona Republican Party.
Lake has been fiercely criticized for purportedly accepting money from a company led by a man she later accused and taped in what is being described as a bribery scandal. She was compensated for approximately 15 months by Superfeed, which specializes in campaign app development, from April 2021 until her departure in March 2023. During that period, DeWit served as the CEO, a position he only resigned from in January 2023. Amid allegations of Lake threatening to release compromising audio, DeWit stepped down, leaving his post amid a clash of accusations.
The former gubernatorial candidate’s financial ties have also cast her dealings in a dubious light. Lake received $100,000 from Winning Team Publishing for her book, a firm co-founded by Donald Trump Jr., as reported by 12 News. Besides her advisory role, she raked in $75,000 from speaking engagements at various organizations, including the McKinney Values PAC and Turning Point Action. These revelations come at a time when Lake is preparing to fight for a seat in the Senate, raising eyebrows about her financial motivations and political ambitions.
Lake's assets reportedly tally up to between $2 million and $4.5 million, with her disclosures indicating no debts. The revelation stirred up a social media storm, with many users accusing the Senate candidate of playing a double game. "So the guy Kari Lake secretly recorded, and she then released the tapes on to force his resignation as State GOP Chair, paid her $102K while she was running for Governor to do nothing. Is there anything NOT shady about Kari Fake?" Ron Filipkowski posted, a lawyer and frequent Trump critic. Meanwhile, Lake defended her actions, with her campaign stating to Newsweek, "The tape speaks for itself" and chided DeWit for not realizing "how unethical his behavior was."
Sitting at the center of these complexities, Lake continues to face her Republican primary rival, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, while Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego remains the forerunner in his primary. With the recording that precipitated DeWit's resignation capturing him asking Lake for a number to withdraw from the Senate race, to which she replied, "This is not about money, it's about our country," the saga enters the realm of political soap opera, anchoring the ever-turbulent landscape of Arizona politics.
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