During an event last night, Kari Lake mocked the attempted violent kidnapping on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the vicious attack on her husband that has left him in the ICU. Lake got a big laugh from the crowd after joking about Speaker Pelosi’s husband Paul being violently assaulted. “Nancy Pelosi, well, she’s got protection when she’s in D.C. — apparently her house doesn’t have a lot of protection,” Lake said. The Speaker was in Washington, D.C., when an intruder broke into their home and attacked her 82-year-old husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer. Paul Pelosi underwent surgery for a skull fracture and significant injuries to his right arm and hands, according to the lawmaker’s spokesperson. He remains in the ICU. 

 

On Friday, federal officials warned that domestic violence extremists pose a heightened threat to the 2022 midterm elections. “We assess that election-related perceptions of fraud and (domestic violent extremist) reactions to divisive topics will likely drive sporadic (domestic violent extremist) plotting of violence and broader efforts to justify violence,” the joint intelligence assessment read. 

 

Lake has repeatedly trivialized political violence while tacitly encouraging it. She warned there would be “hell to pay” if “they steal” the election and she issued a debate challenge with “Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are, Katie,” in what echoed a mockery of ​​the chant from armed protestors saying “Katie Come Out And Play.” 

After Lake attacked ASU and PBS for interviewing Katie Hobbs, the Dean of ASU’s Cronkite School urged faculty and students to stay home over security concerns. CNN journalist Kyung Lah reported a rash of death threats and racial slurs coming in from Lake supporters after another Lake media spectacle where she attacked ASU and PBS for interviewing Hobbs.

 

“Kari Lake’s cavalier attitude towards the violent political attacks against Speaker Pelosi and her husband says all you need to know about Lake. An 82-year-old nearly getting beaten to death with a hammer is nothing but a punchline to her. Arizona deserves better than a governor who encourages and mocks these sort of violent attacks,”  said Josselyn Berry, spokesperson for the Arizona Democratic Party.

 

Read Other Reactions to Lake’s Tasteless Joke:

 

 

• Veteran journalist, Justin Glawe— “Not sure how you describe a political party that A. Threatens violence if they don’t get their way B. Carries it out in an attempt to overturn an election and C. Laughs about political violence against their opponents.”

 

• Former Chicago Tribune editor, Mark Jacob–“Fascists like Kari Lake think violence is funny. No decent person votes for MAGA Republicans.”

 

Editor-in-Chief of Mother Jones Clara Jeffrey– “Nothing like a 82 yo being beaten with a hammer to get the crowd at a Kari Lake event in a good mood.”