Kari Lake may taunt Stephen Richer into suing her for defamation a second time

I’m not sure whether former news reader and failed Republican governor candidate Kari Lake understands how deciding not to defend a defamation lawsuit is admitting you defamed someone.

Instead, it’s beginning to look like Lake is following in the footsteps of her Dear Leader, Donald Trump, and is setting herself up to be sued for defamation ... again.

And for good reason.

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer sued Lake for defamation after she claimed, numerous times, with zero proof, that he had somehow helped to rig the election against her. She continued to do so after she failed in court, time and again, to prove such allegations.

As a result, Richer and other elected officials had to deal with death threats from the most dangerously gullible elements of MAGA.

Kari Lake gave up in court, but not in public

Richer finally had enough and sued Lake, demanding that she prove what she said about him in court.

Last week she decided that she could not do that — after boasting for months about her eagerness to present her case. This means the issue now will go directly to determining damages.

Of this Richer said, “I would have counseled her (Lake) long ago to stop lying, so I don’t have any great insight into her mind. … I don’t know why she does this, but her political calculations haven’t figured into what we’re doing, which is putting an end to these defamatory remarks and starting the process to clear my good name and to correct the record on the 2022 election.”

Except Lake isn’t interested in that happening.

She’s decided in defeat to continue to mock Richer and to continue saying that she did not lie.

Lake mocks Richer, says her words were true

Most recently she released a video saying in part, “I told my team let’s cut right to the chase. Where did my words hurt Mr. Richer? Show me on this doll where my words hurt you? Let’s go right to the damages part. And we called their bluff and they weren’t prepared for it. And they’re in a complete panic now …

“My words are true but how did they hurt you? …

“And you know if we owe you $10,000 for a therapist, a therapy dog, a medication then you can look at punitive damages, but first tell us what your damages are. Show me on a doll where my words hurt you. And they don’t have it.”

Judge points out: Lake basically admitted defamation

First, there is the arrogance and the idiocy of mocking a person who received death threats based on your unsubstantiated claims.

Second, there is the part where Lake says “my words are true.”

Could Lake be talking herself into bankruptcy?

She had the opportunity to prove that was the case and she decided she could not.

Sadly, Lake is such a devotee of Trump that she is willing to copy everything he does. And that seems to include continuing to attack a person who was defamed.

Trump, you’ll recall, was hit by a civil jury with $5 million in damages after it found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation of E. Jean Carroll.

After that verdict Trump continued yapping about his innocence and trashing Carroll, who sued him again. A second jury nailed him with an $83.3 million judgement in Carroll’s subsequent defamation lawsuit.

You’d think that a massive financial judgment like that might be a lesson for someone in Lake’s position.

But, no.

So while Lake has not been able to be able to talk herself into any political office, she might yet talk herself into bankruptcy.

Reach Montini at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kari Lake may taunt Recorder Stephen Richer into suing her again