Arizona GOP chair resigns amid leaked Kari Lake audio controversy

The chairman of the Arizona Republican Party said Wednesday he is resigning, claiming he was doing so amid pressure from GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake.

Jeff DeWit’s resignation comes after The Daily Mail published an audio recording of a conversation between DeWit and Lake in which he explained to her that there were financial benefits to staying out of the state’s 2024 Senate race. DeWit said Lake threatened to release a “more damaging” audio recording if he did not resign Wednesday.

Lake senior advisers Caroline Wren and Garrett Ventry described DeWit as making “false claims.”