The seven most shocking results from the 2022 midterm elections
NBCDec 25, 2022
The Facts
Arizona Judge Peter Thompson, who oversaw the two-day trial of Kari Lake's lawsuit challenging the results of the state's gubernatorial election, has denied Govenor-elect Katie Hobbs' request to impose sanctions against Lake. Thompson ruled that Lake's lawsuit wasn't brought in bad faith.
Lake filed the suit this month over ballot printer problems and ballot chain of custody misconduct, which she alleged cost her a victory in the race against Hobbs. However, Judge Peter Thompson ruled that her witnesses lacked knowledge of intentional misconduct.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Lake, like every other Arizona Republican who challenged election results and lost, made baseless claims from the get-go and is now facing the consequences. It’s bad enough to sow doubt about election integrity via social media, but making such egregious accusations through the legal system is indefensible. Hopefully, the court will side with Hobbs and show election deniers what happens when you lie about results.
Republican narrative
Aside from potential sanctions against Lake, the real news here is that this was a sham trial from the beginning. Despite Lake providing evidence of malfunctioning vote tabulators at a significant portion of majority-Republican polling sites, Thompson chalked it up to coincidence. Two days wasn’t nearly enough time to thoroughly investigate the matter, but it seems the court had no desire to conduct an effective probe.
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