In the wake of the bribery scandal engulfing the Arizona Republican Party, Donald Trump has canceled his planned speech at Friday’s Arizona Freedom Fest, per journalist Cameron Arcand.
Advertisement
I can independently confirm that President Trump will *not* be speaking tomorrow in Arizona following the DeWit/Lake controversy, according to a source.
However, the party is still working to hold a rally tomorrow without Trump.
— Cameron Arcand (@cameron_arcand) January 25, 2024
For background, on Tuesday the Daily Mail published an audio recording of then-Arizona Republican Party chair Jeff DeWit speaking with Kari Lake in March 2023 in which he told her that “very powerful people back east” did not want her to run for Kyrsten Sinema’s U.S. Senate seat in 2024 and were willing to pay millions of dollars for her to stay out of politics for a few years. Lake declined the offer.
On Wednesday DeWit resigned from his post and claimed that Lake was actually his employee at the time at a private business and he was simply giving her friendly advice.
Trump’s speech was announced prior to the outbreak of the scandal and was being heavily promoted.
Advertisement
The AZGOP’s Freedom Fest featuring President Donald J. Trump is shaping up to be an incredible event. 🎟️🐘
Tickets are selling fast! Don’t miss your chance to be part of this celebration of freedom and patriotism. 🇺🇸
Get your ticket today: https://t.co/WEo4iwtMIr… pic.twitter.com/BWj0N631ZK
— Arizona Republican Party (@AZGOP) January 24, 2024
This is a developing story; we will provide updates as they become available.
UPDATE 3:35 PM Eastern:
Arcand reports that Arizona Freedom Fest has been canceled altogether.
BREAKING: The AZGOP Freedom Fest has been completely cancelled.
Trump was no longer going to speak, but there were others scheduled. Now it is fully not happening.
— Cameron Arcand (@cameron_arcand) January 25, 2024